Across the stars
by isnt-that-wizard
Summary: The time lords continue with their hunt for Gallifrey with Clara Oswald. But what, or who, is the mysterious Hybrid. And what's inside the Doctors confession dial? Sixth in the Starlight Saga
1. The magicians apprentice

**Back again! Welcome to the 6th story featuring my OC, Star.**

 **Star is now in her 6th regeneration, taller than her last body with long black hair falling in loose curls over her shoulders with icy blue eyes. her new attire is usually a fitted black top with a leather jacket over the top (with trans-dimensional pockets, of course), black leather pants and chunky black knee high laced boots. I imagine her to look similar to Elizabeth Gillies and at the end of Shooting Stars with 619.**

 **as always I don't not own Doctor Who.**

 ** _"Italics"=_ Gallifreyan**

 _ **'Italics'= Mental communications.**_ **Thanks to the guest review who helped me out with the name. Surprisingly it was one of my options. :)**

Star could only smirk in amusement as she sat with her ankles crossed on the barrel of a tank. The Doctor stood further back, starting a smoke machine as the doors to the medieval castle courtyards opened, revealing the cheering crowd awaiting inside as he began to play on his electric guitar, sunglasses already over his eyes.

Bors, their bearded, err, friend as he had been for the last few weeks dropped his axe in despair as he looked exaggerated at the pair, "Dude! What is that?"

"You said you wanted an axe fight." The Doctor stopped playing and looked down at the leather armoured man. "Oh, come on. In a few hundred years, that'll be really funny. It's a slow burner."

"A musical instrument is not an axe."

"Yes, and a daffodil is not a broadsword, but I still won the last round!" he threw is arms up as the crowd cheered, "What do you think of my tank? Don't worry, it isn't loaded."

"That's what you think." Star smirked.

The Doctor turned to her, trying to see if she was joking or not. She didn't give anything away but he was certain she was joking. He hoped. He didn't put it past her.

"I don't like it." Bors stated.

"No, neither do I. I bought it for Star's fish."

"Even though I asked for a shark." Star cut in.

"You're not getting a shark."

"I don't see why not? I'd only let it bite people I don't like."

"And to you that's everyone."

"Aww! Come on I'll look after it!"

"Your fish?" Bors cut in.

"I may have ordered online!" the Doctor grinned, waiting for cheering and laughing…only to get silence. "Oh, come on. Fish? Tank? Honestly, this stuff will be hilarious in a very few hundred years. Do please stick around."

"What's the matter with him?" Star glanced up recognising Clara's voice and spotted her up on the upper level leaning on the wall with Missy next to her, "He's never like this."

"Oh, you really are new, aren't you?" Missy countered.

"Wait, hang on." Clara frowned seeing Star looking at her, even the Doctor pulled down his shade's for a moment, "Did they just hear that? They don't know we're here, do they?"

"This is Star you are talking about. The girl knows more than she lets on." She rolled her eyes as the Doctor played the opening of Pretty Woman on the guitar.

Clara's face lit up in delight. She had told them that Pretty woman were a favourite movie, had forced them both to watch it, neither enjoyed it but they did keep quiet as they watched. Well quiet as in Star complained about being bored and the Doctor kept surging about how none it would happen in real life. Still, she was thankful they had watched it with her.

"Now, you lot." The Doctor spoke again, "We've been here all day, and it's been a great day!"

"You've been here for three weeks." Bors corrected.

"3 weeks?" the Doctor repeated quietly, "It must be nearly bedtime. Well, we've partied." He called loudly to the cheering crowd, "Yes! I helped you dig a well, with a first-class, child-friendly visitor's centre! I've given you some top-notch maths tuition in a fun but relevant way. And Star introduced the word "dude" several centuries early."

"So let me hear you!" Star yelled, "Or prepare to die!"

"Dude!" the crowd yelled back.

"Are you a Renaissance?" the Doctor asked.

"Dude!"

"Are you a Medieval?

"Dude!"

He pointed to a young man in silver armour, "I am a dragon-slaying?"

"Dude!"

"We are all the young?"

"Dudes!"

"I like it. But I've got some sad news for you, dudes."

"No," Star pointed at him, "that's my word."

"Tonight, we're going to have to leave you. But before we do, I'd like you to meet a couple of friends of ours." He gestured or Clara and Missy to come down. Clara had already hurried down and waved shyly to the crowd as they clapped and cheer.

"How did you know I was here? Did you see me?"

"When do we not see you?" the Doctor smiled.

"Even with the crowd?"

"There was a crowd?" Star smirked, "I couldn't see them past that wide face of yours."

Clara rolled her eyes but didn't complain, "Which one of us is dying?" the Doctor suddenly hugged Clara tightly, "Ok. And we're doing hugging now, too. I can't keep up." He had spent months avoiding hugging her, insisting he only hugged Star, yet here he was, dropping everything to hug her.

"Well, you know what they say." He mumbled, "Hugging is a great way to hide your face."

"Ok, look." Clara stepped back only for Star to wrap her arms around her, resting her chin on her head, "I guessed a party, but not like this. What is this? This isn't you. This is," she turned to Star, "this is you."

"A 3 week none stop party!" Star shouted, "And I've had a lot of mead in that time."

"Yes, a bit too much," the Doctor agreed bitterly, "I spent all day yesterday in a bow tie, the day before in a long scarf. It's my party, and all of me is invited. Hosted by Star of course." He played the cords to Hey Mickey! As Missy had used that song changing it to her name for amusement.

"What the hell are you two up to?" she demanded.

"It's the terrible Godmother! Everyone hiss!"

The crowd hissed at Missy as the woman bowed and flourished a handkerchief.

"Apparently, you think you're going to die tomorrow." She held up a golden disc, embroidered in Gallifreyan; the Doctors Confession Dial, his will and testimony that will only open when he was dead.

"Well, I've got some good news about that." He grinned.

"Oh, yeah?"

"It's still today!"

"Oh, that's very good."

Star whirled around hearing Bors choking, "did you swallow a marble again?" she rolled her eyes, "or are you a Dalek Puppet?" she headed over and pulled away the banded snake that was strangling him and threw it away.

It slithered across the floor and under the dark robes of the tall humanoid figure of Colony Sarff.

"Doctor." The alien greeted, "Your friends have led me to you. You will come."

"Says you and whose army?" the Doctor scoffed.

The segments of Sarffs face coiled in different directions, its robes dropping to reveal a large serpent form with smaller snakes around it. The crowd screamed in terror, quickly fleeing at the sight.

"Nobody dies here. Not one person, not one of my friends, do you understand?"

"Davros, creator of the Daleks, dark lord of Skaro, is dying."

"I say good riddance." Star grumbled.

"He would speak with you again on the last night of his life." Sarff hissed.

"Then you will harm nobody in this place. Not one person. Are we very, very clear?" the Doctor glared at the snake.

Sarff recoiled back into its humanoid form, "Are you so dangerous, little man?"

"You want to know how dangerous I am? Davros sent you. You know how stupid you are? Huh! You came!"

Sarff hissed threateningly at them.

"Oh, that's absolutely terrifying," Star remarked, heavily sarcastic, so much even the Doctor knew it was sarcasm, "I'm shaking in fear."

"Now, explain, politely." The Doctor began slowly, "Davros is my arch-enemy. Why would I want to talk to him?"

"No, wait, hang on a minute." Missy interrupted, "Davros is your arch-enemy now? I'll scratch his eye out."

"With that manicure?" Star raised an eyebrow.

"At least mine is better than yours."

"We've been in the Renaissance Era for 3 weeks partying. I don't have time to ensure my nails are the blackest of the black."

"Yes, because your more concerned at getting drunk on mead, aren't you?"

"Hush," the Doctor cut into their banter.

"Davros knows." Colony Sarff stated, "Davros remembers." He pulled out the sonic screwdriver and threw it to the ground.

"That's yours." Clara breathed.

The Doctor hung his head, "Err, it was."

"Was?"

Star gave the Doctor a look, "Someone no longer has a screwdriver anymore."

She didn't know quite what happened, she had been minding her own busy as the Doctor went to an Earth bakery to fetch her a cinnamon roll, she loved them and they were better when made and brought from Earth but when he had come back (without the pastry) he was unusually silent. He didn't tell her much, only that he met a boy and gave him his screwdriver to help save him only to discover that the boy was Davros and ran, unable to bring himself to help his arch enemy. She said nothing more on the topic.

"Ooo. Never seen that before." Missy commented, eying them both intently, "Doctor, the look on your face. What is that?"

"Shame." Clara noted, "You're ashamed. Doctor? What have you done?"

"Is your ship in orbit?" the Doctor asked Colony Sarff.

"It's a trap." Missy hurried to his side.

"Prepare yourself for teleport." Sarff said.

"Doctor, listen to me. I know traps, traps are my flirting. This is a trap."

"I am prepared."

"You sent me your confession dial! You got your daughter to throw you a three-week party. You know what this is."

"Yes. Goodbye. Goodbye, Clara. Look after yourself, Star." He turned around and one of Sarffs snakes binds the Doctors wrists behind his back like handcuffs.

Clara looked at Missy who nodded, "and us." They also turned preparing to be cuff. "Star!"

"No, I'm good."

"Star!"

"Ok, fine," Star grumbled, joining them, "but only because in those few second I changed my mind."

"Shut up."

"Yes boss."

"No!" the Doctor cried, "No, no, no. Under no circumstances! What are you doing now?" he glanced at Sarff.

"Voting. We are a democracy. It is agreed." Three more snakes binded the females wrists together.

"No, no, no! I forbid it, no! No! No! No! No!"

It was no use, they all disappeared in a blue light.

~.~

Star mentally sighed as they sat in Colony Sarffs spaceship as he piloted them to where Davros was expecting them. Missy sat opposite the girl, looking just as bored as she was, leaning back with her feet up as the Doctor explained to Clara who Davros was. Not needing to remind her of the Crucible all those years ago. Why couldn't Davros just die already?

"Davros is the child of war," he leaned in forwards in his seat, facing Clara, "a war that wouldn't end. A thousand years of fighting, till nobody could remember why. So Davros, he created a new kind of warrior, one that wouldn't bother with that question. A mutant in a tank that would never, ever stop. And they never did."

"The Daleks?"

"How scared must you be to seal every one of your own kind inside a tank? Davros made the Daleks, but who made Davros?"

There was a whoosh and stars appeared in the space before the ship, Missy shifted for a better look, "Ok, great. Coming out of hyperspace."

Directly before them was a stupa-shaped space station slowly spinning.

"So that's where he ended up." Star muttered.

"What is that?" Clara squinted.

"I don't know. A hospital?" the Doctor could only guess.

~.~

"Oh my god," Star groaned as she sat on the ground in the cell they were locked in between Clara and Missy, the woman singing in boredom as the Doctor paced the room, "I can't wait any longer!" she shifted, throwing the snake that was binding her hands away.

Clara looked at the snake cut in half in disgust as Star suddenly punched the older Time Lady in the nose.

"Ow!" the woman cried in pain. "Am I not allowed a little warning?"

"What's the fun in warning you?" Star looked genuinely confused at that, making the Mistress huff in annoyance.

"How long have we actually been waiting?" Clara asked, silently thankful Star had finally lost her patience and shut Missy up, even if she did mean that she had to cut the snake in half and just left it in the middle of the room.

"I don't know," the Doctor replied, "that's the problem with hospitals."

"Tied up and locked in a cupboard," Missy called, "it's like your wedding day all over again."

"Go on," Star perked up at that.

"Oh no," the Doctor shook his head, "we are not doing this."

"Oh come on. You never tell me any of this stuff."

He sighed, "That wasn't my wedding. That was my stag night."

"No, hang on, wasn't it the faculty dance?" Missy frowned.

"No, that was the laser slugs."

"Of course, yes, the slugs."

"We were friends then. What happened?"

Missy shrugged against her snake, "Nothing."

To her they were still friends, they fought and tried to kill each other but that was friendship. It was a small price to pay for a centuries old friendship that would last until the end of time.

At that moment the door slid opened and Colony Sarff slivered in, "you will come," he spoke to the father and daughter, and then Missy and Clara, "you will stay."

"You heard," Star pushed Clara towards the door, "Star."

"I'm going," Clara glared, "Clara."

Colony Sarff led the Doctor and Clara out of the room, no idea it wasn't actually Star going.

Idiot.

The Doctor shot Star a look, _'Gravity.'_

' _First thing I noticed.'_ She replied.

"What the hell?" Clara mouthed to her as she followed Colony Sarff and the Doctor, the door closing on them. Leaving the two Time Ladies alone.

"What are you up to, Star?" Missy eyed her. it wasn't like her to stay behind, especially since her old man would probably end up needing her to save him.

"I just wanted to spend some time with my dear old godmother." She smiled sweetly, "is that so much trouble?"

"Less of the old," she pointed warningly at her.

She smirked but didn't say anything more on the subject, "so, the gravity…"

"Feels like a planet," she nodded.

"Do we dare go outside?"

"Well," Missy sighed, dropping her dead snake to the ground as she walked to the airlock door. Star raised an eyebrow at it, took her long enough, "this airlock…it is pants." She turned back to Star, "you might die."

"Oh the horror!" she rolled her eyes mockingly, "I couldn't imagine anything worse!" she smirked at the older Time Lady, "we'll never know unless we try."

Missy grinned as she pushed the airlock door, sending the alarms blaring as the door slowly opened, but instead of sucking them out like it should have done they didn't move. She slowly reached a hand out into the space outside, "its warm, isn't it? For deep space."

Missy grabbed Star wrist as the girl tried to step outside, she let go quickly as the girl glared at her before continuing to walk out.

"There's ground," Star frowned, stomping her feet as Missy stepped out after her.

"We're on a planet," Missy realised, "and that is not a space station, it's a building. And the rest of the planet, the whole thing is invisible."

"A whole planet is invisible." Star repeated, frowning. Why hide an entire planet from the universe, why pretend it wasn't there. She didn't get a look at the co-ordinate of Colony Sarffs ship, she didn't know the galaxy they were at. It could be any planet.

"It's ridiculous," Missy continued, "How would you ever find your glasses or the little girls' room? What if you kissed an ugly? Unless when you're part of the atmosphere you begin to sink with the spectrum."

"Missy!" Star cut her off.

"What?" she looked at her.

"We're here for Davros," she began slowly as though speaking to an idiot, "I think we're on Skaro." She didn't say anything as fear flashed on the Mistress' face. It was possible as Skaro still existed, last time, when they met Darla and went to the Asylum, they had met on Skaro, it was uninhabitable, but still existed.

Just like Gallifrey.

"I think you might be right about that," Missy swallowed hard, her eyes on the building before Star as she spun around to see the desert planet appearing around them. Buildings joining with the one they had just come from to create a city.

The city of the Daleks.

Skaro.

Of course they were on Skaro.

"No, no, no," Missy breathed, shaking her head, stepping away from the city, away from the Daleks.

"Skaro." She stated, "of course they would have rebuilt it."

"Correct." They looked to the side seeing a Dalek approaching.

She cursed under her breath, as Missy recovered from her fear and whacked her on the head. She glared at her. Of all people, Missy was the last person she expected to complain about her language.

~.~

The Dalek had forced them into the city, led them into a large room filled with more Daleks, including the red Emperor, but thankfully not as many as the Asylum.

"The TARDIS has been procured," the Emperor stated.

"No, really?" Star remarked sarcastically, "Never would have guessed. It's not like the old girl is right before my eyes." Missy sniggered at her slightly but covered it as a cough.

"The TARDIS shall not be entered. The TARDIS shall be destroyed."

"Daleks!" Missy called, wandering to the centre of the room, separating herself from Star, "pay attention. You know what this is, this thing you're about to destroy. I'll tell you! It's the dog's unmentionables. And you know all about those, don't you?" she ticked a Daleks ball, "This is a TARDIS. With this, you can go anywhere, do anything, kill anyone. With this, the Daleks can be more powerful than ever before." She walked up onto the platform opposite the TARDIS, the Daleks all turned to her.

"You just need one thing." Missy continued, "You need your Predator!" the Daleks spun to Star, who looked at Missy in mock betrayal, "a Time Lady who knows how to work that TARDIS. With the last two Time Ladies, everything can be yours. We can burn it all forever and ever. Or you rather just kill me?"

The Daleks turned to their Emperor for an answer.

"Maximum Extermination!" Missy posed as the Daleks turned and exterminated her.

The Daleks turned to Star, waiting for her to run, toying with her. She glanced down at the Vortex Manipulator on her left wrist that Missy put on when she tried to stop her stepping outside. It wasn't like she had one on her right arm, hidden under the jacket sleeve, but no one knew that, and she wanted to keep it that way.

"Inhabitants of Skaro," Star bowed to them, "congratulations! Today is the day that you've finally done it! You've finally won. You've finally killed the Predator of the Daleks. The Angel of Darkness. The daughter of the Oncoming Storm. Death by Dalek, been awhile since that happened. Bravo!" she clapped mockingly before running. Letting out an ear piercing scream, knowing wherever they were Davros was making the Doctor watch, and she was such a drama queen. But he should know that even when a Time Lord was exterminated their body didn't disappear. The Daleks were too stupid to realise but the Doctor would be surrounded by fear that he wouldn't notice.

The poor idiot.

She just hoped that Clara could do enough to hold him back before they got back to him.


	2. The witches familiar

Star groaned as she awoke to find herself hanging upside down by a rope on a lone tree in the desert of the planet with Missy sitting on a rock before her, sharpening a stick. "Hey!" she called, letting her know she was awake, "how's it hanging?" she chuckled at her own joke. She wasn't going to lie, she was hilarious.

"Consider the Doctor." Missy began, "The Doctor, trapped. The Doctor, alone. You all right there, honey?" she glanced up at Star.

"Perfect-y perfect."

"Ok, I'm going to tell you a story of the Doctor."

Star sighed, "I'm a little old for story time, Missy."

"It's classic. On the run, no TARDIS. No friends, no help. In other words, the Doctor, happy. It was a long time ago. Doesn't matter which face he was wearing, they're all the Doctor to me. So let's give it to the eyebrows. He's travelling by teleporter. Unfortunately, his teleporter is out of power. Also unfortunate, he's being stalked by, oh, say about 50 android assassins? I may be rounding up. Ow!" she pouted as she stabbed herself with the stick she was busy sharpening, "50 invisible, indestructible android assassins, all exclusively programmed to kill him."

"Are you jealous?" Star called making Missy look up at her, "is that why's your sharpening the stick? You're jealous I have a rather brilliant and amazing dagger and you don't? And you're scared I'm going to run off and leaving you all alone on the planet of the Daleks. You don't want to be all by yourself with them, do you?" she taunted, "that's why you're hanging me up, you're scared? Big baby!"

Missy jumped up and walked over to where she tied the rope up.

Star swore under her breath, just knowing she had gone too far, and Missy would probably actually end up killing her by the end of the day. If she was brave enough. "No. don't just…" she cried out as she suddenly fell to the ground, landing with a thud, "ow!" she grumbled into the sand, brushing her hair out of her face and she sat up to see the older Time Lady, crossing her arms at her.

"Are you going to behave now?"

"I hate you," she sneered.

"I hate you more."

"I hate you more than I hate Rassilon!"

"Can I continue with my story?" Missy asked, continuing anyway, "The Doctor, then. Surrounded. Outnumbered. Outgunned. And freeze. Nanoseconds to live. 4, I'd say, being generous. Now, my question is this. How did he survive? Oh, come on, Star! You know him…more than anyone."

"Where did he get the teleporter?" she wondered.

"He stole one from an android."

"Why are you asking me this?" she shook her head, "do you need my help because you're too stupid to know yourself."

"Last warning," Missy pointed the stick at her threateningly.

"Ooh, I'm terrified." She rolled her eyes, "but the teleporter would have the same energy as the androids He uses the energy wave from the android weapons to recharge the teleport bracelet and at the exact moment he's supposed to disintegrate, he actually teleports. That's how you've been doing it, isn't it? I'd say it was brilliant but I knew straight away you survived."

"I modified the same principle for our vortex manipulators. Blew them off, I'm afraid." She shrugged, as Star nodded, when Missy had grabbed her arm to stop her going outside, she hadn't been stopping her leaving merely sneaking a teleporter on her wrist, "But the Doctor, he improvised it. He must have got through several thousand calculations in the time it takes to fire up a disintegrator. Seriously, what a swot!"

"Well, it's not hard."

"Your ego is as bad as his." Missy muttered. "But why does the Doctor always survive?"

"Because he has me of course!" she laughed, as Missy sent her an unamused look, "fine, because he assumes he's going to win. He doesn't care about the odds and failing and dying. There is always another way."

"Yes!" Missy exclaimed, "Except this time, he made a will and threw himself a goodbye party. Now, if the Doctor assumes he's going to die, what happens then?"

"We do." She stated, brushing the sand of her clothes as they turned to the Dalek city.

"He's trapped at the heart of the Dalek Empire." Missy commented, "He's a prisoner of the creatures who hate him most in the universe."

"And the Daleks think Clara is me," Star added.

The woman hummed, "To get to him we have to go through the deadliest race in the universe. And we have a pointy stick…and a dagger."

"Let's go beat some Daleks up then!" Star smirked, already walking back towards the city.

Missy shook her head at her before quickly catching up. Why did she have to get stuck with the annoying one with the large ego. She's prefer the human, at least then she would definitely be in charge.

~.~

The duo of Time Ladies stood watching at a safe distance not to be seen as the Daleks flew around in the city, "Exterminate the Doctor! Exterminate!"

"Thank god you're not in there," Missy murmured.

Star frowned as she watched the sight in the city. She should have gone, she should have gone and killed Davros on sight and then gone, gone back to get Clara and Missy, get the TARDIS and they could have gone just like that. But she sent Clara to keep an eye on the Doctor and his compassion was his downfall.

"Ah, that's what we need." Missy looked around and spotted a cave hidden among the rocks a short distance away. "Star!" she walked back and tugged the girl with her, seeing she hadn't followed.

They peered down a hole that led to the Dalek sewers, except Daleks sewers weren't actually sewers but more like graveyards for the older Daleks. Daleks didn't die, their genetically hard-wired to keep living, no matter what. They still aged, their body breaks down and begins to rot and liquefy. But they still survived, they always survived.

"How much of a drop would you say that is?" Missy wondered, "Can you see the bottom?"

"No." Star shook her head, before grinning, "You know what that means?"

"What?"

She smirked, "Geronimo!" and she leapt forwards down the hole.

"Star!" Missy shouted. Honestly, that girl would be the death of her.

She landed on her hands and feet in a crouch in the dark corridor, "20 feet." She called back up.

"Was there a need to do that?" Missy chastised as she jumped down and landed besides her, "we had no idea how far down it went. What if it was 100 feet? You'd have gone splat."

Star blinked as the woman talked, was she, no, she wasn't? Was Missy concerned about her safety? She was definitely never going to let her live this down, "keep this up and people might start to think you care." she teased.

Missy frowned, "of course I care. About you and the Doctor. Now, hush, look around. Bit of a mess, isn't it?"

"It's a Dalek sewer," Star deadpanned, already walked down the darkened tunnels, forcing Missy little choice but to follow, "what did you expect?"

They glanced up hearing the Doctor speaking across the planet.

"I want Star, safe, alive, and returned to me immediately. You bring her back. You do that. You do that now. Unharmed. Unhurt. Alive."

"Your daughter…" the Supreme Dalek began.

"I saw what happened." The Doctor snapped, "I was there. And I'm hoping, for all of our sakes, that it was a trick."

"It was not a deception."

"Because if Star is really dead, then you'd better be very, very careful how you tell me."

"Listen to that." Missy remarked quietly, "The Doctor without hope."

"Who's going to tell me? Who's going to go first?"

"Nobody is safe now."

"All the power Davros had is mine. Everything he had, I have. Who's going to tell me that Star is really dead?"

"He'll burn everything." Missy breathed, "Us too."

It didn't matter if he still had the human companion. He thought he lost Star. If he really thought Star was dead, then he'd end up actually killing her as his way of avenging her. He'd be mad, upset, hearts broken. Nothing in the universe would be able to stop him. Without Star, without the TARDIS, he had nothing. There was no power in the universe to stop him.

"Its ok," Star assured her, "Clara will calm him down enough."

Missy looked at her, both hearing Clara trying to cut him off, but he kept cutting her off, "will she?"

"Doctor, please, this is Star," Clara tried, "she always survives…"

Star swallowed, "if you trust me, you can trust her. You obviously think she's capable, why else would you give her to us?"

"You gave her your number." Missy pointed out.

"You told me where to find her to give her the number. You chose Clara out of any human. Why?"

Missy grinned, "She's perfect, isn't she?"

"In what way?"

Missy's grin morphed into a sinister smirk, "you'll figure it out."

"Star is not alive." The Supreme Dalek repeated, snapping Stars attention back.

Star stabbed her dagger into some dying Dalek in the wall making it scream as she took her frustration out on it. She was a Time Lady, its what she did, kill and harm Daleks. The Doctor had closed off his mind, thinking Star was dead, so no matter what she couldn't contact him. But he was too stupid to think that if she was then she'd try to communicate telepathically. So what does he do? He shut of his mind so she can't tell him she's alive.

IDIOT!

Star shook her head, walking off again, "we need to get a Dalek down here." She glanced at Missy, "trust me?"

"Not in the slightest," she answered honestly.

She smirked, turning to look into the metal circle with the blue dot that stood out on the rock wall. Allowing the Daleks a good look at her as Missy rolled her eyes at her plan. Of course she knew what she was planning, she was thinking the same thing.

"Intruder alert!" a Dalek shouted, coming down in the lift at the end of the corridor, "Intruder alert!" Humanoid detected in lower level. Dalek to Lower Level 13."

"I got this," Star looked at Missy.

She scoffed, "of course you do," she took her brooch off, "Dark star alloy. Goes through armour plating like a knife through people. It's pretty, though, isn't it? Got it in the olden days on Gallifrey. Your father gave it to me…"

"Yes, thanks for the story," Star cut her off, "but I'm a little too old for your pathetic little stories."

Missy glared at her as she hid in a niche in the wall as the Dalek rolled out of the lift, spotting Star as she stood calmly in the middle of the corridor, her hands in her pockets.

"Humanoid detected." The Dalek stated, "Remain still. Do not move. Scan in progress. Humanoid unauthorised in restricted area. Sterilisation proceeding. Alert! You are the Predator!"

"Then fear me!" she ordered, stabbing it repeatedly with her dagger, not even giving Missy a chance to poke it with her brooch. She didn't need the help from the old woman. She could handle this, this was what she did. It was her job as the Predator of the Daleks. She continued to attack it as a brown goo seeped out of the casing.

"Damage levels insignificant." The Dalek stated.

"Oh, really?" Missy smirked, "I think you're forgetting you're surrounded by a bunch of very old, very angry Daleks." The decaying Daleks began to screech as Missy imitated an American accent, "You just got yourself a puncture in a bad neighbourhood. Meet the locals? All blind and squelchy and out of their tiny minds, but they can still smell! Nobody hates like a Dalek. Here they come! I think they want to steal your motor."

"Are you insulting my accent?" Star demanded, narrowing her eyes at the woman. Just because she sounded American and both she and the Doctor sounded Scottish.

"Shh."

"Emergency! Emergency! My vision is impaired. Exterminate! Exterminate!"

"Here come the old folks." Star stepped back as the Dalek fired at the tentacles on the walls.

Missy pushed Star around the corner, shielding her as the Dalek exploded, not that there was any need, "Weeee!" she glanced at Star as the invisible wall protected them, "nicely done."

Star approached the Dalek, "that was fun, I should do that more often." She pulled the lid open, grimacing as she shoved her hand in and pulled out the remains of the Kaled, throwing it away and wiping her hand on Missy's coat as the woman tried very hard not to react to it.

"Just for that. You can get it." She told Star, opening the rest of the Dalek.

"But I touched the mutant so you didn't!" she argued, "You get in!"

"I'm not getting in, I'm the one in charge!"

"Are not!" Star crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes.

"Am too!" Missy mimicked her.

"Are not!"

"Am too!"

"Don't do me any favours!" Star flared out her nostrils in anger.

"Get in the Dalek, Nova!" Missy shoved Star back inside the casing, holding her down, and connecting her quickly, closing the casing before Star could even begin to fight back.

"Coward!" Star yelled, crossing her arms in a huff, only for her voice to call out, "Exterminate!" in the Daleks monotone voice.

Missy sighed, "let's go kill some Daleks then." She swivelled the Dalek into the right direction, giving it a shove, forcing Star to control the Dalek, wheeling in front of her.

~.~

"Halt! Report." They were forced to stop, Missy raising her hands as a Dalek approached as they made their through the halls of the main building.

"Humanoid intruders found on lower levels." Star reported.

"Why have the intruders not been exterminated? Explain. Explain. Explain!"

"She is a Time Lady. She is important to the Predator."

' _Important to the Predator am I?'_ Star could practical hear Missy smirking at that.

' _Shut up and move unless you want to be exterminated.'_ She threatened, giving the woman a nudge to follow the other Dalek. She could do it, she could quite easily exterminate the woman, the other Dalek wouldn't care. But then again, Missy knew where Gallifrey was, the Doctor wanted to find Gallifey and it was likely, they would only find the planet with Missy's help.

The Dalek escorted them back into the main room with the Supreme Dalek along with the others still there.

"Oh, hello!" Missy giggled as she swirled around the room, ending up next to the Supreme, "Look at you all, with your nice, shiny domes. Oh, I am loving this," she leaned to whisper to the Supreme Dalek, "You're my secret favourite. Don't tell the others"

"You are enemies of the Daleks." It stated.

"Yes, well, anyone who's not a Dalek is an enemy of the Daleks, so that was an easy guess."

"You will be exterminated."

"Please, please do, because I have been on my feet all day." Missy groaned, taking a seat on the dais the Supreme was on. "But before you get all exterminate-y, two things. 1; I want to see Davros. 2; I have a lovely little gift for you all, if you take me to him right now."

"We do not negotiate."

"Star. I brought you complete control of the Doctor, gift-wrapped. Better. Canned."

' _You witch.'_ Star hissed in the Mistress's mind.

The woman just grinned, _'that would make you my familiar.'_

"Where is the Star?" the Supreme demanded, making Star groan. It was just Star. Not THE Star. Star. What was so hard to understand? "You will tell us! You will tell us! You will tell us."

Missy smiled, beginning to dance and swirl in tune to the Dalek when they all suddenly stopped, powering down. She stopped, glancing around the room, "I'm sorry. Was I, er, was I boring you?" and then a familiar golden energy began rising from the Daleks, "No. No, no, no, no, Doctor. What have you done?"

"Idiot!" Star sneered, jumping out of the casing and taking off out of the room, down the corridors and down to Davros room, with Missy following behind her.

"Get. Out. Of. My. Way!" Star growled, pulling the gun out of a Dalek down a corridor and shoving it out of the way.

"Star!" Missy called catching up with her as they reached the lock door of Davros room, "give me that!" she snatched the gun from her and fired it at the lock. The door opening and fired at Colony Sarffs snakes as they kept the Doctor trapped with his regeneration energy seeping into Davros and the Daleks. Clara stood to the side, trying and failing to fight of the snake around her neck.

"Stay still!" Star ordered, snapping the snake, and dropping it to the ground as Clara coughed.

"I tried to get him out," she panted, "then the snake got me."

It had all gone so well at first. Davros knew she wasn't Star but the companion but didn't care. He had been close to dying and just wanted to see the sunrise for the final time, so the Doctor released a bit of his regeneration energy only for Colony Sarff's snakes to keep him there, releasing more than he wanted into all of the Daleks on the planet.

"Morning," they looked over to see Missy tapping the Doctor cheek as he laid on the ground, slowly wakening. Star walked over to him.

"You're alive," he breathed, seeing her and pulling her closer. "You're ok?"

"Your faith in me in uncanny," she rolled her eyes, "as if the Daleks are capable of killing me!"

"I'm fine too!" Missy cut in loudly making them look at her, "thanks for asking."

"Oh, you are not fine." Davros called, "Thanks to you, Doctor, my creations shall grow to yet greater supremacy, and my own life is prolonged. This is the final defeat of the Time Lords. Have you nothing to say, Doctor?"

"Three." He nodded, retrieving his confession dial.

"Do you understand what has happened? Hear my children sing."

"Two."

"Oh, I know that face." Missy laughed.

"All praise Davros, creator and saviour of the Daleks." Davros stated.

"One." The Doctor finished as the city began to shake.

"What is that?" Davros demanded, "What's happening?"

"We knew exactly what you were doing. I let you do it. You transmitted regeneration energy into every Dalek on this planet. Every single one."

"What have you done?" Davros glared.

"One word. Er, no, two words, actually. First word, moron." Missy sniggered from the side, "Second word, sewers."

"No. This cannot be correct. How can this be?

"Generations of Daleks just woke up very cross, and they are coming up the pipes. Or to put it another way, bye!" he turned and ran out of the room with Clara behind him.

"No, you must help me." Davros pleaded.

Star turned and looked at him, "after everything you've done. We offered to save you last time. You refused. This time we're refusing to help you. Beg all you want. No help will come from us."

"Can I just say, it's been an absolute pleasure to finally meet you?" Missy curtsied at Davros, holding out her hand as if to shake his before she poked his blue eye. Well she did say she'd scratch his eye out.

Clara poked her head back in the room, "come on!" she grabbed Stars hand and tugged her out of the room, with Missy following, running through the corridors as they began to rumble.

"You alright?" the Doctor glanced as Star in concern.

"No," she deadpanned, "I've been hung upside down from a rope. Dropped down onto the cold hard ground, which, I could have smashed my head open! And then I was pushed down into the sewers, with no idea how deep it went AND shoved inside a Dalek! All thanks to her!" she turned and dramatically pointed at Missy.

Missy blinked in surprise at being betrayed so suddenly. It was her who did that. "I did not push you," she argued, "you jumped. Even when I argued against it."

"Missy," the Doctor glared at her. She argued about pushing her, but that meant she still hung her by a rope, "run."

"Oh, come on." She scoffed, "You can't seriously still think of her as your sweet little innocent shining star, can you."

"You shoved her in a Dalek!" he snapped.

"Yeah, but if you think about. The friend inside the enemy, the enemy inside the friend. Except in this case it was your daughter. Everyone's a bit of both. Everyone's a hybrid."

"I said, RUN!"

"It wasn't me who ran, Doctor. That was always you." She lifted her chin up as she turned and walked away. Sending a small glare at Star as the girl smirked after her.

She did say Missy would pay for betraying her. This was her revenge. She couldn't wait to see how the woman got off the planet.

~.~

"Whoa!" Star tugged Clara back as a bit of ceiling fell in as they ran into the main control room where the Supreme Dalek and the others were being attacked by the forgotten Daleks from the sewers.

"Where was the TARDIS?" the Doctor asked her, looking around the room, "It was over there somewhere, wasn't it?"

"What is happening?" the Supreme demanded, "Explain! Explain!"

"Dalek Supreme, your sewers are revolting."

"You will assist, or you will be exterminated."

Star shrugged, walking to the spot where the TARDIS last was, "Oh, well, go on, then. Exterminate. It's about time you killed me"

"Star!" Clara gasped, running to her side as the Daleks fired only to hit an invisible wall.

"Ah, yes. Should have mentioned. TARDIS force field is still here. We get in, you don't."

"The TARDIS has been destroyed."

"Ah, don't be silly, of course it hasn't." the Doctor waved it off, "It just redistributed itself for a moment. Hostile Action Dispersal System. I'll give it a quick blast from my sonic, and the real time envelope will reassemble right here."

"Doctor, you don't have your screwdriver." Clara reminded him.

"Oh, yeah, I'm over screwdrivers. They spoil the line of your jacket. These days, I'm all about wearable technology." He grinned as he put his sunglasses back on.

"No!" Clara gasped, that's why he was so protective of them, didn't want Davros to touch them, "No? Serious?"

"He is." Star sighed as the Doctor activated them and the TARDIS reformed around the trio.

"What is happening?" the Supreme inquired.

"Oh, same old, same old." The Doctor smiled, "Just the Doctor, Star and Clara Oswald in the TARDIS."

"And that'll never change," Star took Clara's arm as the Doctor hurried to the console and they dematerialised.

~.~

"No chance you're going to tell me what's in that confession dial, I suppose?" Clara wondered as they stood in the dessert watching the city destroy itself from a safe distance.

The Doctor buried the confession dial in his trousers pocket in silence, his brows furrowed in concentration.

"Doctor?" Clara called as the Doctor suddenly took off into the TARDIS, as he realised something.

"Do you think Missy got out?" Clara asked Star quietly. She knew Star had a soft spot for the woman, even if she denied it. Star had purposely said that they were each other because she wanted to be with Missy, or it may have been she didn't want to see Davros. And she knew Star had purposely accused Missy of all she had done, knowing it would make the Doctor angry.

Time Lords, she'd never understand any of them.

"Hmm," Star hummed, silently heading into the TARDIS herself.

~.~

"Tea."

Clara jumped back startled as she entered the kitchen to find Star at the door before her, a mug in each hand. She eyed the girl, unsure whether it was poisoned or not.

"You're beginning nice," she began slowly, "why?"

She shrugged innocently, sipping her coffee, "I sent you to speak with Davros pretending to be me."

Clara was silent as she took a sip of her tea. It didn't taste poisoned. It didn't surprise her hearing Star sounding upset that she didn't get to kill her. Star always said it but she knew she didn't mean it, or at least hoped she didn't…

Star finished her coffee, the mug still steaming as she set it on the side, "night, Oswald." She walked off down the hall leaving Clara staring after her.

Star had just gotten even more confusing then she used to be.


	3. Under the lake

"Something wrong, old girl?" Star patted the console in comfort as they landed at an old base of some kind.

"What is wrong?" The Doctor frowned, stepping outside to check the area.

"Come on!" Clara groaned, peeking out of the door to look at him, "we're on a roll! Monsters! Things blowing up! Oh, hey can we go back to that place where the people with the long necks have been celebrating New Years to 2 centuries? I left my sunglasses there!"

"And most of you dignity," Star remarked as she squeezed out besides her.

"Shut up, Star." She rolled her eyes, not annoyed just playfully. It wasn't her fault that the drinks there didn't taste like they had alcohol in them so she had quite a few bottles, in reality they had way too much, too much for her to handle and she MAY have gotten slightly drunk. Only slightly! But had been embarrassing that she had to be cared to the TARDIS as she was too drunk to even talk, let alone stand up by herself.

"Why have you brought us here?" The Doctor continued to ponder.

Clara sighed, closing the TARDIS doors as she fully stepped out after them, knowing they weren't going to leave anytime soon, "here being?"

He ran a hand over the wall, "under water. Some sort of base. The technology's 22nd century. Maybe military, maybe scientific."

"Is there a crew?"

"Maybe they drown," Star commented, "went for a little dip outside in the water."

"Ooh, someone's not happy." Clara teased. "Is someone a little bit afraid of getting wet?"

"How about I drown you and see if you like it!" It wasn't her fault she wasn't overly fond of water, especially deep water. But when the liquid has been the cause of a regeneration, it takes a while to enjoy it again.

"There must be a crew somewhere," the Doctor reasoned, heading off down the corridor, "there's oxygen."

"Maybe the oxygen comes on only a certain times and then suffocates everyone to death when they least expect it." Star countered.

"You're sense of humour's getting worse and worse."

"Really? I thought it was getting better."

"Come on!" Clara cut in, "I want another adventure. Come on, you both feel the same. You're itching to save a planet, I know."

"No." Star deadpanned.

"Yeah, well you want to try and rule it first, don't you? Or be the one to destroy it."

"And then pretend I have no idea what's happening and help save it. Yes, yes, we've discussed this plenty of times," Star rolled her eyes, "I like to see my Godmother, she's very good with giving advice."

"The wrong kind of advice," the Doctor muttered, bitterly.

~.~

"What happened here?" Clara wondered as they entered a canteen that had seen better days. The room was a messy, tables and chairs toppled over and scattered around the room, fridge doors left open, something that really caught Stars eye was the knife that had been thrown against the wall of the large dragon painting opposite the window out looking the water outside.

She whistled, "I like whoever threw this," she pulled the knife out of the wall and ran her hand against the blade, "blunt too." You could always do more damage with a blunt knife.

Clara frowned, "food fight."

"If this was a good fight, I'd have loved to take part in it."

"There's more to it than that," the Doctor agreed, "whatever happened here, happened fairly recently," he dipped a finger into the full cup of coffee that was left on a table, "7 or 8 hours ago."

"No bodies," Star pouted, "how disappointing."

"They took provision," Clara called as she wondered around the kitchen, looking in the bare cupboards. "Ok, so, something or someone forced the crew to abandon the base. Maybe they went for a swim in creepy flooded village out there..." She trailed as she squinted out into the dark bottom of the sea, just making out buildings in the shadows. "Oh, yeah, you see this is more like it!" She held her hand up for a high-five. The Doctor glanced at it before turning and walking off again, "oh, come on, don't leave me hanging. Star...?" She turned to the girl.

"It's more embarrassing if I leave you hanging," she began, "but there's no one around to embarrass you," she shrugged and high fived the girl.

"Thank you!" Clara cheered as they caught up with the Doctor down one of the corridors, "at least Star loves me."

"Look," he pointed round the bend where two men where crouched down, "crew. Hello sailors!" He called as they slowly approached them. The two men stood up and turned to them revealing hollowed black eyes with skin and clothes that were transparent.

They stopped.

"Right," the Doctor frowned, "did not expect that. Who expected that? I don't think they're going to hurt us," he reasoned, "I think they're just curious."

"I think you're wrong," Star murmured, pushing Clara behind them as the two men stood directly before them, mouthing the same thing.

"Look at you lovely chaps. What's happened to you then?"

They glanced at each other as the two men turned and walked off.

"Come on," the Doctor whispered, leading the way after them.

"What are they?" Clara asked as the men stepped into another corridor.

"How about we ask you for once?" Star countered.

"So you don't know?"

"Isn't that exciting?" The Doctor grinned.

They followed them into a large room with a white spaceship in the middle, where they suddenly seemed to have disappeared.

"Where did they go?" Clara looked around. "What is that? Some kind of submarine?"

"Spaceship." Star stated, quickly walking up the steps and inside as the other two quickly followed her in. Two UV lights had been left in either side. "Very nice," she frowned at the words on the wall. Looking back at the Doctor who nodding, having seen them two. They should have been translated by now.

"Shouldn't the TARDIS have translated that by now?" Clara held up an abandoned torch and frowned up at the words. When there was a slight hissing noise and she turned to see the two men in the room again, "they're back."

"Hello," the Doctor greeted, "did you want to show us this? It's very nice."

They didn't speak but continued mouthing the same words. Even Clara noticed.

"Wait, are they saying something?"

The black man turned and picked up a large axe from the wall behind.

"They now appear to be arming themselves."

"Duck!" Star shouted, pushing Clara down as the Doctor ducked as the man threw the axe at them, would have hit them if they didn't duck, "hey! I can do that too, you know!" She pulled the axe out of the wall and threw it back, it went straight through him and onto the wall behind.

"Starting to see why the crew did a runner," Clara said, dodging as the other man fired an arrow at her.

"Out!" Star ordered, pushing Clara out first and running after her down the corridor as the Doctor followed, shutting the door only for the men to step thought it, disappearing but leaving the weapons. They stopped and hid around a corner, at a cross sector.

The Doctor peered around the corner when Clara suddenly gasped seeing a hand appear out of the wall behind them and the man followed it stepping into the corridor with them, forcing them away from the wall as the man in the top hat appeared from the floor behind them.

"Run!" Clara grabbed both their hands in hers and pulled them down another corridor.

"In here quick!" A woman called, opening the door at the end of the corridor for them to run inside and closing it on the two men.

The Doctor stepped closer to the door, looking out the small window, "what are you?" They watched as they turned and disappeared.

"Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?" A young man demanded of them.

"This is Clara Oswald," the Doctor introduced, "my daughter, Star," she huffed and crossed her arms at the introduction, "and I'm the Doctor," he showed them the physic paper.

"You're from UNIT," another man gasped.

"Well if that's what it says."

"I'm Prichard. This is Bennett," he gestured to another man in glasses.

"O'Donnell," a young woman wearing a cap quickly shook his hand, "you're really the Doctor? I'm a huge fan!" She giggled before catching herself, "I mean, you know, nice work."

"Hello gorgeous," Star stepped towards the woman at that, "Star. The pleasure is mine," she smiled and tucked a piece of the woman stray hair behind her ear causing her to giggle even harder.

"Star! Stop it!" The Doctor warned.

She turned smirked at him, "make me."

"Tim Lunn," a young man smiled, "I sign for Cass," he nodded to the woman next to him, who signed hello.

"Tell me," the Doctor began, "what about those thing out there? What are they? Why are they trying to kill us?"

"Well there ghosts," Bennett stuttered.

"They're not ghosts."

"Cass is saying..." Lunn began as the woman signed.

"Thank you, but I actually don't need your help. I can speak sign." He signed to her, "Go ahead." Cass nodded and signed to him, "No, no, actually, I can't. It's been deleted for semaphore. Someone get me a selection of flags."

"One of the ghosts is our previous commanding officer." Lunn translated for her, "The other, um moley guy, we don't know what he is."

"He's from the planet Tivoli." Star informed them.

"See?" Bennett exclaimed, "I told you he was an alien. Didn't I say that?"

"Except they're not violent. They're too cowardly."

"They wouldn't say boo to a goose." The Doctor added, "They're more likely to give the goose their car keys and bank details. When did they first appear?"

"Oh, did you see that spaceship in the hangar?" O'Donnell asked them, "Yeah, we found that on the lake bed and we'd just got it on board and one of the engines started up and then Moran got… Moran was killed."

"Then they appeared," Lunn translated for Cass, "and straight away started trying to kill us. So we grabbed what we could and looked for somewhere to hide and that's when we realised the ghosts couldn't come in here."

"What is this place?" Clara inquired.

"It's a faraday cage," the Doctor replied, "completely impenetrable to radio waves and apparently whatever those things are out there."

"So who's in charge?" Star wondered, "I want to avoid them."

"That would be me." Lunn called, wincing as he translated, "her." Cass was the one in charge.

"I won't ignore you."

"Actually that would be me," Prichard held out his hand, and handing the Doctor a card, "from Vector Petroleum. We've maintained the mining rights to the oil."

"I will ignore you."

"The oil?" The Doctor flicked the card away.

"This used to be a military training site," Bennett informed them, "there is a dam overlooking it, but the dam burst and the value was submerged."

"Then 20 years ago somebody discovered a massive oil reservoir underneath it," Prichard continued.

"Good morning," a computer called as the lights brightened, "now entering day mode."

"Ok it's morning," O'Donnell said, "we can go outside now."

"Thank god for that," Lunn sighed in relief.

"At last we can get out of here." Pritchard nodded.

"Morning?" Clara repeated.

"We're too far below the surface for daylight to get thought," Bennett explained, "so we have to use artificial day and nights."

"I'd like to look at that spaceship," the Doctor remarked, "but what about those things that aren't ghosts?"

"Oh, it's alright," O'Donnell assured him, "they only come out at night."

"Weird how that is not comforting," Clara murmured as they followed the group out.

"I like her," Star stated.

"Wow, you actually like someone for once."

Star playfully shoved her, "shut up."

It was there thing nowadays, Clara loved teasing Star but to ensure both of their safety, the Doctor had made them both promise to never get into an argument like on the moon. They knew each others limits. Star didn't mention Danny Pink and in return Clara didn't complain about Star being violent or any of her other quirks. It was working so far.

~.~

"If whatever they are..." The Doctor began as they entered the hanger where the spaceship was kept.

"They're ghosts," Richard insisted.

"Keep telling yourself that, idiot," Star rolled her eyes, "your brain is too tiny to understand what we're actually dealing with."

"They've been trying to kill you," the Doctor agreed. Ghosts didn't do that, "why haven't you abandoned the base?"

"That was my call. We've got about a trillion dollars' worth of mining. Equipment here. We're not just going to abandon it. What?" He asked as they stared at him, "if it all goes pear shaped it's not them that lose a bonus."

Star patted the man's shoulder, "I'm liking you less and less with every word out of your mouth," she told him honestly, "and I didn't like you from the beginning. But I have never met anymore as idiotic as you and yes that does include you dad!"

He scoffed unsure if that was a compliment or an insult, "thanks? Come to mention it, why is there a faraway cage on the base?"

"It's the mining equipment," Bennett said, "it runs on nuclear efficient. The faraway cage has been lined with lead to act as a shell to neutralise if any radiation leaks."

"So we are fighting an unknown type of force that has taking the form of you commanding officer, and an alien under the water in a nuclear reactor?"

"Anything else we need to now?" Star wondered, "anyone with a peanut allergy? I have a Snickers somewhere..." She rummaged in her jacket pocket, "ah ha! Snickers, Oswald?" She handed the bar to Clara.

"No, you can have it," she laughed.

Star shrugged and unwrapped it as she followed the Doctor into the ship.

"It all started in this ship," he remarked, shaking his head as Star offered him a bite. At least she had some manners in this regeneration, "this is where the answer will be." He looked around as the crew watched from outside the ship as he lifted up the hatch to the power cell cage, one missing, "what happened to the stuff you removed?" He asked them, "this is for long haul flights. There should be a suspended animation chamber for the pilot right here. Plus one of the power cells is missing."

"Power cell?" Prichard frowned, joining them.

"How stupid can you be to not see that one is missing," Star sneered at him.

"What's the matter?" Clara called down as the crew joined them in the ship except for Cass and Lunn who seemed to be arguing.

"She won't let me look in the spaceship," he accused. "She said it's not safe. I'm saying it's not safe out here."

"I imagine they're pretty valuable," Prichard glanced down at the power cell. "I mean powerful. The power cells. I imagine they're pretty powerful."

"Well they can zap a ship from one side of the galaxy to another, so take a wild step out of the dark," the Doctor muttered.

"And the missing one must still be out there."

"Didn't I say just a few minutes ago that I like you less and less with every word out of you pathetic little mouth?" Star glared at him.

"We haven't removed anything," O'Donnell insisted, "There hasn't been time."

"So what have we got?" The Doctor frowned, "a man dies and then those things appear. They can walk through walls, they only come out at night. And they're sort of see though."

"Doctor, wait you're not saying..." Clara shook her head.

"They're ghosts! Yeah, ghosts!" He turned to Star, grinning, "You're going to argue aren't you?"

She blinked at him, "no."

"Oh. I had a whole speak planned to change your mind."

"Ok? So speak anyway?"

He grinned, "well, there was no such thing as socks or smart phones or coffee until there suddenly were. Besides what else could they be, they're not holograms, not flesh avatars, they are not Autons, they're not digital copies bouncing around, not these people are literally, actually dead! Wow! This is amazing. I've never actually met a proper ghost."

"Moran was our friend," Lunn glared, translating for Cass.

"So?" Star eyed them.

"The cards," Clara whispered, taking the stack from the Doctors pocket and selecting one out herself.

The Doctor read the card aloud, "I am sorry for your lose. I will do all I can to solve the death of your friend/family member/pet."

The Doctor grinned as he handed Clara the cards back. Those cards were the best idea ever. Instead of them having to think about how to apologise or whatnot they only had to read the cards that Clara had prepared for them, there was plenty for all occasions even dropping someone off in the wrong location. They took it in turns to read a card out. They were brilliant!

"But don't you see?" He grinned, "Death. It was the one thing that unified every single living creature in the universe and now it's gone. How can you just sit there, don't you want to go out there right now and wrestle them to the ground and ask them questions until your throat falls out? What's death like? Did it hurt? Do you still get hungry? Do you miss being alive? So, they'll try to kill you blah, blah, blah what does that matter? You will come back at bit murder-y sure."

"Calm down," Star chuckled at him, "Take a deep breath and calm down. Breathe." She inhaled and exhaled deeply, gesturing him to do the same, just how he had calmed her down when they were trapped in the TARDIS when dealing with the Boneless.

He smiled as he copied her deep breathing, "im calm," he assured her. "I was like this when I met Shirley Bassey."

"I know I was there."

"You were still worst when we met Blackbeard."

She frowned, "shut up!"

They turned to Clara as she cleared her throat, "Ok." The Doctor nodded, getting back on point, "Question one. What is a ghost? Question two. What do they want?" he glanced up as the lights dimmed like they had when they first arrived.

"Whoa. Whoa, what's happening?" O'Donnell gasped.

"Good evening. Entering night mode." The computer called.

"That's not right. We're switching back into night mode again. This can't happen! No, no, no!" she hurried to the computers to try and countermand the computer when a distant bell tolled.

"Er, what's doing that?" Bennett frowned.

"That's the…" Clara trailed.

"TARDIS cloister bell." Star finished as she and the Doctor took of down the corridors and into the TARDIS with Clara quickly behind them.

"What's wrong?" Clara asked as they ran to the console.

"It must be the ghosts." The Doctor reasoned, "That's why she was upset when we got here."

"Why? Explain."

"It's just what I was saying. You live and you die. That's it. The ghosts are aberrations. A splinter of time in the skin. They're unnatural. She wants to get away from them."

"So, what do we do?" Clara asked, expecting something amazing to need to be done.

Star pulled down a handle on the console, making the bell stop and the engines to power down, "put the handbrake on."

"Whoa! Ho, ho, ho, ho!" the Doctor shouted as Clara headed back outside, "Where do you think you're going?"

"Out there, where the action is." She grinned.

"Look, you, er…"

"What?"

"Oh, this is my own fault. I like adventures as much as the next man. If the next man is a man who likes adventures. Even so, don't, don't go native."

"What do you mean? I'm not."

"Look, there's a whole dimension in here, but there's only room for one me."

"Wait a second. You just raved about ghosts like a kid who had too much sherbet."

"Do you know what you need? You need a hobby."

"I really don't."

"Or even better, another relationship. Come on, you lot, you're bananas about relationships. You're always writing songs about them, or going to war, or getting tattooed…"

"Doctor, I'm fine." Clara insisted. Ok, so, maybe at first she didn't take Danny's death too well, but she was now. People died, and Danny, he died for her and if there was anyway to go, it'd be saving the Earth.

"I just felt that I had to say something."

"I know. And I appreciated it."

"Because I've got a duty of care."

"Which you take very seriously, I know." She nodded.

"So can I stop now?"

"Please do," Star cut in, heading outside, "you're freaking me out."

"I will give you this talk again, if I have you," he pointed warningly at her.

"You do anyway. And there is still no need or point."

~.~

"Attention, all crew." O'Donnell called over the comm. "The Drum has switched to night mode early so grab provisions and make your way to the Faraday cage. Pritchard, you are unaccounted for. Contact the bridge or get to the Faraday cage immediately. Pritchard, contact the bridge or get to the Faraday cage!"

"O'Donnell, it's okay." Bennett responded as he and Clara were busy gathering provisions for the long night, "Pritchard's in here!"

"Pritchard, you moron." Star smirked at O'Donnell for that, "Grab your stuff, we're locking down early. In case I can't get this back into day mode." She cut the comm. And began working even harder on the computer, "Come on, come on. Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on. Yes!" she cheered as the lights turned back on again.

"Good morning. Entering day mode"

The group stood before the computers screens watching the CCTV camera play back. Bennett and Clara had returned and informed them that Pritchard was now a ghost. It seemed the moron had snuck off to look for the missing power cell and when he returned Moran flooded the room causing Pritchard to die. Star had looked away at that bit.

"They're working out how to use the base against us." Star stated, turning her gaze back to the computers, "Altering the time settings so they can go about uninhibited, opening the airlocks. They're learning."

"And now there's three of them." Clara added.

"Cass, what do we do?" Bennett looked at her.

"We abandon the base." Lunn translated for her, "Topside can send down a whole team of marines or ghost-busters or whatever."

"Wait, wait." The Doctor cut in.

"I can't force you to leave, so you can stay and do the whole cabin in the woods thing and get killed or drowned, if you want. But my first priority is to protect my crew."

"But we're coming back, aren't we?" Clara whispered to the pair.

"Yes, we're coming back." The Doctor nodded.

"O'Donnell, contact Topside." Cass instructed via Lunn, "Tell them we're abandoning the base on my orders."

"Topside, Topside, this is Lance Corporal Alice O'Donnell from Drum Control." O'Donnell called into the telephone they had, "Over."

"Drum Control, this is Topside." A male voice answered, "We have received your message. Submarine on its way. Over."

"Repeat, Topside. Over."

"We've received your request for a rescue sub. It's two minutes away. Over."

O'Donnell glanced at the others, none of them connected anyone, "Topside, who did you speak to and when was this request made? Over."

"Drum Control, it was in Morse code and arrived maybe half an hour ago. Said it was urgent, comms were down, two crew members critically ill, full paramedic team requested. Over."

"Topside, this is the Doctor," he reported to them, "UNIT security vis Apple 0 0. You may be familiar with my work. Call back the sub."

"Doctor, why would…"

"Call it back! We have a hazardous and undefined contagion on board. This base is now under quarantine." He hung up on them.

"What did you do that for?" Bennett demanded.

"Well, none of us sent the message, did we?" he countered, "So that means that the ghosts sent it, which means they want that crew down here."

"Why would they do that?" Lunn frowned.

"Well, I don't know, but I'm pretty certain it's not so they can all form a boy band. Okay. We solve this on our own. The ghosts can only come out at night so they change the base's time settings. Why? What's different at night?"

"It's mainly atmospheric." O'Donnell replied, "The lights are dim, the noise from the engines is muffled."

"No." Star shook her head, "it'll be something else."

"The diagnostic sweep." Cass called with Lunn speaking for her, "When the systems are checked, that stops at night to save power."

"What systems specifically?" the Doctor turned to them.

"Life support, the locks," O'Donnell told him, "They're electromagnetic. They have to be secured in case of flooding, so throughout the day, they're checked, one by one, every few seconds."

"The answer is in there somewhere, I can smell it."

"So, what do we do?" Clara inquired.

"O'Donnell." Star flashed her a bright smile after a nod of agreement from the Doctor, "Excellent work, returning the base to day mode."

"Shut up." She giggled, "It was nothing…you really think so?"

"Oh absolutely. Spectacular! Now put it back into night mode."

"What!" she exclaimed.

"We know nothing." The Doctor agreed with Star, "We don't know what they want. That's what's getting us killed. Well, I won't run. Not any more. Neither will Star. So, O'Donnell, kindly put the base back into night mode. We want to know what these ghosts are after? We ask them. We're going to do the impossible. We're going to capture a ghost."

~.~

Star stood flat against a wall in one of the corridor's waiting for the signal. The plan was the lead the ghosts into the Faraday cage. Bennett was first, finding them at the canteen and leading them to her, where she'll lead them to Lunn and then she'd lead them back to the cage. All without getting caught. Hopefully. The original plan had been Clara in her place, but she begged to go instead. It was nice to run down dark corridors by yourself instead of standing in the control room with everyone else.

' _Star,'_ the Doctor spoke in her mind, _'Bennett is going to run across the top of the T-junction to your right in about ten seconds. Draw the ghosts towards you. Turn right, and then take second left.'_

Bennett gave her a single glance as he ran passed the junction with the ghost a few feet behind.

"Hey! Hey, morons!" they turned to her, "catch me if you can!" she turned and took off in the opposite direction of Bennett.

She ran down the corridors, ducking to the left as she spotted Lunn.

' _Star! Two of the ghosts are still following you!'_

Star glanced behind her as she ran seeing the mole man and Moran following her. She swore under her breath.

' _There's a flood door at the end of the corridor, around the corner to your right. We'll close it from here. Listen to me. You've got to get through that door before Moran and the other ghost sees you.'_

' _On it'_ she nodded, skidding round into it, _'any time you'd like to close it would be great. Thank you.'_ She ducked as the door closed and kept low as the two ghosts passed.

~.~

Star slowed to a walk as she joined the Doctor and Clara at the Faraday Cage. The only problem with her refusing to use an ear comm was that she had no idea what was going on with everyone else. The Doctor put on the sonic sunglasses as her hologram from inside the cage disappeared with the three ghosts trapped inside.

"We need to talk. Sorry, chaps. Just a hologram. You play a little bit too rough. Cass, are you seeing this?"

"Sonic glasses Wi-Fi locked in. On screen B2." O'Donnell reported.

"She says she can't see them properly." Lunn reported. "The glass is too thick and they're too far away."

"Open the door." The Doctor ordered.

"Doctor, you can't go in there, they will kill you!" Clara hissed at him.

"They don't have any weapons or access to any of the controls. They can't hurt me, so open the door."

"Do as he says."

O'Donnell opened the door and the Doctor stepped inside the room, closing it behind him, making Star pout as she made to enter with him.

The Doctor stood in the middle of the room as Moran stepped closer to him, reaching into his chest. The Doctor grimaced at the uncomfortable feeling but it didn't hurt, "Cold, isn't it? Take away your weapons and you're not so scary, are you? Is that better, Cass?"

"She says they're saying the same thing, the same phrase, over and over." Lunn said, "They're saying the dark. The score. No, the sword. The for sale? No, the forsaken. The temple."

"What?" the Doctor frowned.

"Yes, she's sure. The dark, the sword, the forsaken, the temple. Just that. Over and over."

"The dark, sword, forsaken, temple." The Doctor repeated, "What does that mean? What are you telling me, big man?"

Clara jumped as Star yelled next to her, "I understand! We need maps! Bennett get the maps outs, I know what they're telling us!"

~.~

Star stood with everyone else back in the control room, with all the maps they had on the base laid on the table before them, "They're coordinates."

"How can they be coordinates?" Bennett scoffed.

"How can they not be!" she narrowed her eyes at him, "The dark? That's space."

"So, whoever's following the coordinates knows they're going to another planet." The Doctor added, now understand exactly what Star had understood, "The sword?" he handed an apple to Bennett, a knobby ball to O'Donnell and a table tennis ball in one of Clara's hand and a place mat in her others, making them all line up. "Orion's sword. The sword, the three stars, although one isn't actually a star but the Orion Nebula, hanging down from Orion's belt. But if viewed from back here, the Earth becomes the fourth bit of the sword. So, narrow it down to a planet now. Getting closer. The forsaken. The forsaken or abandoned or empty town. See, it's a location, beaming out to someone or something across the universe, over and over. And every time they kill one of us…"

"It strengthens the signal." Clara gasped, "Another ghost, another transmitter."

"Which is why they sent for that rescue sub." O'Donnell realised.

"Get more people down here, kill them, make even more ghosts to beam out the coordinates." Star commented.

"But why are they beaming out the coordinates?" Lunn asked, speaking for Cass, "Is it a distress call?"

"It could be." The Doctor nodded, "Or a warning. Might even be a call to arms. It could mean, come here, they're vulnerable, help yourself. Wait a minute, though. Wait a minute. Do you know what this means? It means that they're not a natural phenomenon. It means that someone is deliberately getting people killed, hijacking their souls and turning them into transmitters."

"But what do the coordinates lead to, though?" O'Donnell shook her head, "To us? To the ghosts? What?"

"Ah! What the coordinates are for. That is part of the answer to the other question you're all thinking." His grin faded as everyone stared blankly at him, "Really? Come on. None of you? Surely just being around me makes you cleverer by osmosis? What is the other question?"

"It is really easy," Star held back on insulting them all.

"The temple." Cass signed, "The fourth part of the directions. What's the temple?"

"At last. A clever ape. This is the flooded military town. Shops, houses, town square, and this..." she pointed to the picture of a long narrow building with an annex projecting off at right angles at one end.

"A church?" Clara frowned.

"Whatever the coordinates are for, it's in that church. Find that and we're close to stopping them."

"Wait, you're not suggesting that? But we're safe now." Bennett argued, "The ghosts are in the cage. We can get out of here."

"No one has to stay. In fact, I would prefer it if you went" the Doctor spoke honestly, "You'll all get in the way and ask ridiculous questions. But, you know," he pointed to Cass, Lunn and O'Donnell, "you have chosen to protect and serve." And then Bennett, "You have given yourself to science and the pursuit of knowledge. None of you have chosen anonymous or selfish lives. Go, and a part of you will always wonder, what would have happened if I'd stayed? How could I have helped? What would I have learned? I want you to go. But you should know what it is that you're leaving."

"Cass says we should go," Lunn called, "but everything that happens here is her responsibility now, so she's going to stay. So I, er, guess I should too."

"Well, count me in." O'Donnell grinned, "Who wants to live forever, anyway?"

"Sorry, er, have you gone insane?" Bennett gaped at the crew, "We can go home. They're ghosts, though. How can they be ghosts? Well, at least if I die, you know I really will come back and haunt you all."

~.~

"Okay, the sub is approaching the town square." Bennett said as he controlled the drone submarine with virtual reality goggles and remote control gloves, "Which way is the church?"

"North-north-west, one hundred and fifty yards." O'Donnell told him, "That's it. Starboard two degrees."

"What are we looking for, exactly?" Clara squinted as the computer screen, as they looked at the dark town.

"Something that has the power to raise the dead and turn them into transmitters." The Doctor remarked, "I expect we'll know it when we see it."

"Wait, I've found the church."

"That's it, keep going."

"Stop!" Star held up a hand, pointing at a large white casket amongst the debris, "what is that? Get closer." Clara cleared her throat, "please."

~.~

The Doctor led them over to the white casket in the main hangar, "It's the suspended-animation chamber from the spaceship."

"So the pilot could be in there." Clara followed.

"There is something inside there." Star nodded, running her hand over it, "but I don't think it's the pilot."

"But it's deadlock sealed." The Doctor groaned, "I can't open it. It should be the pilot, it should be. So why do you think it isn't?" he frowned at Star as she offered a small coy smile, "More questions. Everything I solve, just more questions. I have to go back to the beginning. We arrive, we see the ghosts. They don't kill us. They lead us here, they show us the spaceship. Then they try to kill us." He headed inside the ship, looking at the symbols on the wall, "Not translated by the Tardis. Why?" he cleaned the sonic glasses and put them on again, scanning the words before heading back out, "Lunn, translate for me." He looked at Cass, speaking about her, "Whenever Star and I step outside, you are the smartest person in the room. So, tell me, what's weird about this? I know that it's all bonkers but, you know, when you think about it, one thing keeps snagging in your mind. What is it?"

"The markings on the inside of the spaceship."

"The markings on the inside of the spaceship. Yes! Why?"

"I don't think they're just words."

"They're not. They're magnets."

"Magnets? How?" Bennett frowned.

"Well, a localised and manufactured electromagnetic field, to be precise. The dark. The sword. The forsaken. The temple."

"When we heard the coordinate for the first time," Star began, "we all know what they were going to be…like the words were already in us."

He snapped his fingers at her, "exactly!"

"So that writing is the coordinates?" O'Donnell looked back at them.

"Everything we see or experience shapes us in some way. But these words actually rewrite the synaptic connections in your brain. They literally change the way you are wired. Clara, why don't I have a radio in the TARDIS?"

Clara blinked at him, "You took it apart and Star used the pieces to make a clockwork squirrel."

The girl shrugged innocently, "It wasted a few hours." It felt like years ago since she had done that. She was a different person back then. Literally.

"And because whatever song I heard first thing in the morning, I was stuck with. Two weeks of Mysterious Girl by Peter Andre. I was begging for the brush of Death's merciful hand."

"Worst. Song. Ever." Star agreed, though gritted teeth. If she ever heard that song again she'd go and kill Peter Andre himself.

"Don't you see? These words are an earworm. A song you can't stop humming, even after you die."

"Ok," Clara nodded slowly, "so, the spaceship lands here. The pilot leaves the writing on the wall so whoever sees it, when they die, they become a beacon of the coordinates, while they snooze in the suspended-animation chamber."

"Waiting for their mates to pick the message up."

Star sighed, "Whatever it is. Its brilliant. Its evil. Its clever. I hate it! I love to hate it!"

Suddenly alarms blared over the base, "Attention, all crew. Evacuate base immediately. Emergency protocols have been initiated. This safety message was brought to you by Vector Petroleum. Fuel for our futures."

O'Donnell spun to the touch screen on the wall, reading the reason as too why the alarms were blaring. 'Flooding Initiated. Reactor Malfunction. Emergency Cooling.'

"Oh, no. The ghosts tampering with the day-night settings caused a computer malfunction. Its its first priority is to keep the reactor cool, so it's opening the hull doors and it's flooding the base."

"What?" Star tensed at that.

"Cass says, close the internal flood doors." Lunn told her urgently, "That'll contain the water in the central corridor."

"Where's the TARDIS?" the Doctor demanded.

"On the other side." O'Donnell answered him.

"We need to get there. It's our only way out."

"Okay." She typed on the screen, "We've got 30 seconds before the flood doors close."

"Then let's move people!" Star yelled and they took off running through the corridors.

~.~

"Doctor!" Clara shouted as the flood door closed just after the Doctor ran though, trapping her with Lunn and Cass.

"Dad!" Star cried, seeing him stopping in the corridor, as the water slowly rising to his ankles, looking back at Clara. He quickly rolled through the door, joining her, Bennett and O'Donnell, as the door closed behind him. Star quickly pressed a button on the intercom as Clara did the same on her side allowing them to speak.

"We'll get you and the others out." The Doctor looked at her, "Sit tight, we'll come back for you."

"Just come over here in the TARDIS now." She argued.

"The TARDIS won't go there. She won't go near the ghosts."

"You can't just leave us!"

"Clara!" Star thumped the door to get her attention, "we will NEVER leave you behind."

"Listen to me." The Doctor began, "we're going back in time to when this spaceship landed. If we can understand why this is happening, we can stop them killing anyone else. We can save you. You trust me, don't you, Clara?"

As the corridor between them filled with water, they lost their view on Clara but could just see a small nod from her, and that was all they needed to turn and walked off. They needed to get to the TARDIS quickly and stop whatever was happening.

"Wait, you're going to go back in time?" Bennett gaped, "How do you do that?"

"Extremely well."

Star snorted, "If you let ME pilot."

"So, when are we going?" O'Donnell questioned.

"Back to before the flood." The Doctor answered.

 **Thunderstrike16** : **Im glad you're enjoying the story :) I have high hopes for this story.**


	4. Before the flood

The TARDIS materialised on the towns station. A really badly made town, with life-size cut out figures for target practise, a few with holes from the fired bullets, as well as fake random shops. Star stood tapping her foot impatiently as she and the Doctor waited outside for O'Donnell and Bennett to exit, the humans seeming to test their patience.

"Where's Bennett?" Star demanded as O'Donnell stepped out, "we're in a hurry."

"Oh, he's still throwing up. One small step for man, one giant bleaurgh."

"Oh, time travel does that sometimes." The Doctor murmured.

"Somehow I doubt that Rose or Martha or Amy lost their breakfast on their first trip."

"You seem to know an awful lot about us" the Doctor eyed her.

"I don't like it," Star glared at her. There was a reason they always complained about UNIT having records on them. They hated the attention it gave them. How was she supposed to hide in the shadows with UNIT knowing all about her?

"I used to be in military intelligence." O'Donnell explained to them, "I was demoted for dangling a colleague out of a window."

"Why?"

"He made me angry? So, what year are we in?"

The Doctor wet his finger and held it up, feeling the wind against it, "1980."

"So, pre-Harold Saxon. Pre-the Minister of War. Pre-the moon exploding and a big bat coming out."

Star inhaled sharply at the mention of their little incident on the moon. Never again, she'd never leave Clara behind again, even if they told her the plan. Whenever possible she'd go with her or even take her place.

The Doctor frowned at something he didn't know, which hardly ever happened, "The Minister of War? No, never mind. I expect we'll find out soon enough."

"Sorry about that." Bennett shut the door as he finally joined them, "Had a prawn sandwich. Might have been off."

Star hummed, "of course. Blame the sandwich."

"Don't worry." The Doctor waved him off, "Shall we go?"

"Just one sec, I've just got something in my boot." O'Donnell called, moving to lean on Bennett for support before jumping up and down in her excitement once she thought the Time Lords were out of earshot. "It's bigger on the inside, it's bigger on the inside, it's bigger on the inside. How can it be bigger on the inside, Bennett?"

"Finished?" Star smirked as the woman finally sobered up.

"Er, yeah." Her face reddened at being caught, she had been trying to play it cool, "let's roll."

~.~

"Why have we gone to Russia?" Bennett wondered as they walked down what was seemed to be made to look like a high streets.

"We haven't." the Doctor remarked, "We're still in Scotland. This is the town before it flooded. The TARDIS has brought us to when the spaceship first touched down. But here and now, it's the height of the Cold War. The military were being trained for offensives on Soviet soil."

They found the spaceship with the ramp down, parking in front of the church. Inside the chamber was still in place with a large mummy on top.

"Oh, is that the pilot?" O'Donnell gaped, "My God, look at size of it."

"No, it's only the body," the Doctor corrected.

"What do you mean, the body?"

"This is a hearse ship."

"The suspended animation chamber's still here, and the power cells for the engine." Bennett called.

"And there are no markings on the wall." O'Donnell nodded.

"Yet." Star muttered.

"Greetings!" Star groaned quietly as the mole-man from Tivoli hurried over, waving a handkerchief at them.

"It's him." O'Donnell blinked, "That's the ghost from the Drum."

"Remarkable." He breathed, getting right into the Doctors face "Oh, and humans, too. Albar Prentis, Funeral Director." He handed out his business card to the three of them. Star teared hers in half and threw it away along with the Doctor.

"You're from Tivoli, aren't you?" Bennett asked him.

"The most invaded planet in the galaxy!" Prentis exclaimed, "Our capital city has a sign saying, if you occupied us, you'd be home by now."

"Yes, I've had dealings with your lot before." The Doctor grumbled, remembering Gibbis from the God Complex, "I can't say I'm a fan."

"No, we do tend to antagonise."

"What are you doing here?"

"Ah, yes. Of course." He ran inside the ship and gestured to the large body, "This is the Fisher King. He and his armies invaded Tivoli and enslaved us for ten glorious years! Until we were liberated by the Arcateenians. But, thank the Gods, soon we'd irritated them so much, they enslaved us, too!"

"My first proper alien, and he's an idiot." Bennett sighed.

"And now, in accordance with Arcateenian custom, I've come to bury him on a barren, savage outpost."

"You mean the town?" O'Donnell frowned.

"Planet." Both Time Lords corrected.

"Although, at the risk of starting a bidding war, you could enslave me." Prentis ran back over to them, "In the ship I have directions to my planet and a selection of items that you can oppress me with."

"Thanks but I prefer to hypnotise people to do my bidding rather than enslave people." Star smiled sweetly, although she had just admitted that she did on occasion hypnotise people.

"Listen," the Doctor shook his head, getting them back on topic, they didn't have time to waste, they needed to get back and save Clara, "we've come from the future. You're about to send some sort of signal. How do you do it? Is it a special pen?"

"What are you talking about?" Prentis laughed.

"The technology you use. The thing that wrenches the soul out of the body and makes it repeat your coordinates for eternity. Give it to me now, I'm going to take the batteries out."

"We don't have anything like that. Even this belongs to the glorious Arcateenians."

"So, if you didn't send the message…" Star trailed, glancing back at the body in the ship before at the Doctor who nodded.

Whatever was in there, wasn't actually dead.

"Back to the TARDIS." The Doctor instructed, "We need to talk to Clara."

~.~

"Wow, 3 rings, must be desperate." Star remarked sarcastically as the woman answered her phone, her face appearing on the monitor as they video called her.

She rolled her eyes at her, "are you all right?"

"Yeah, fine." The Doctor waved her off, "So listen, the spaceship, it's a hearse."

"Clara?" Star eyed her. Her wide brown eyes looked even wider and wetter, like she was on the verge of tears, "what's wrong? I didn't mean to insult you, no, actually I did. Sorry, not sorry." She shrugged.

She swallowed thickly before replying, "Another ghost has appeared."

"What?" the Doctor glanced at Star at that, "Who? Has someone died?"

"Doctor, it's you. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Well, currently." How were you supposed to act upon hearing that you died and became a ghost in the future?

"What does it mean?"

"It means I die." He closed his eyes for a moment as he took it all in.

"No, not necessarily. We can change the sequence of events so…"

"This isn't a potential future. This is the future now. It's already happened. The proof is right there in front of you. I have to die."

"No. You can change things."

"I can't. Even the tiniest change, the ramifications could be catastrophic. It could spread carnage and chaos across the universe like ripples on a pond. Oh, well, I've had a good innings. This regeneration, it's a bit of a clerical error anyway, isn't it?" he whispered that last bit to Star.

She frowned, "no. I like it."

"Well, I've got to go sometime."

"Not with me!" Clara yelled, "Die with whoever comes after me. You do not leave me. I have already seen both of you die! I forbid either of you to die again with me."

"Clara, we need to talk to you just on your own." The Doctor picked up the handset on the console as Clara held her phone to her ear, while Star shooed the humans over to the stairs.

"Listen to me." The Doctor began, "We all have to face death eventually, be it ours or someone else's."

"I'm not ready yet. I don't want to think about that, not yet."

"I can't change what's already happened. There are rules."

"So break them. If Star was dying you wouldn't even think twice about it. And anyway, you owe me. You've made yourself essential to me. You've given me something else to be. And you can't do that and then die. It's not fair. I don't care about your rules or your bloody survivor's guilt. If you love me in any way, you'll come back. Are you?"

"Of course." Star answered. There was no doubt about it.

The Doctor rubbed his face, "I can't save Moran or Pritchard."

"No, but like you said, if you can, if you can find out why this is happening, maybe you can stop them killing anybody else, you can save us." Clara tried, "And you can stop it happening to you."

"I'll do what I can, but the future has already happened. We've just met the Undertaker and he's still alive."

"So, ghost-y dad," Star began, turning the monitor back on again, no longer needing the privacy, "can you tell how he died?"

"Er, you're the same as all the other ghosts with the weird black eyes and. No. No, wait. Your coat. It's torn. The right shoulder." Clara switched the screen to show the large window and on the other side was the ghost Doctor, just as Clara described, his lips mouthing words as well.

"I assume I'm just saying the same thing as the others." The Doctor remarked.

"No. You're saying a list of names. Our names, mainly. Moran, Pritchard, Prentis, O'Donnell, Clara, Doctor, Star, Bennett, Cass. Who's Prentis?"

"The mole-faced chap."

"Clara?" Star called, seeing the phone drop for a moment as she heard the woman gasp. "Clara! What happened?"

"He's moved inside." She breathed, holding the phone back up to see the ghost as entered the room, "You're inside here now."

"What am I doing?" the Doctor inquired.

"Er, nothing. You're, you're just standing there"

"I'm not trying to kill you? Why am I not trying to kill you?"

"Don't complain!" Star frowned.

"I'm not, I'm curious."

"No, wait, you're moving," Clara continued, her phone following the ghost, "going toward the control panel." They could see the ghost walk to the control panel and press the buttons, opening the Faraday cage door, "Oh, no. He's opened the Faraday cage. He's let the other ghosts out."

"I need to talk to me now."

"Didn't you hear me? You opened the Faraday cage. The other ghosts are outside. Shouldn't we be hiding?"

"In a minute. I need to talk to the ghost me."

She huffed as she set her phone up on a cabinet, facing it at the ghost Doctor, "Okay, Doctor, you're on."

"Doctor." He greeted his ghost self, "Such an honour. I've always been a huge admirer. This is really a delight. Finally someone worth talking to." Star let out an outraged noise at him basically saying she wasn't worth talking to. "oh, you know what I mean." He huffed at her, waiting for her to nod in agreement before he continued to his ghost, "So firstly, why are you here?"

"Still rude even in death," Star laughed as the ghost merely turned away.

"Clara? Clara, what's happening?" the Doctor called.

"Er, you, you've just stopped." She replied, picking the phone back up and turning back to her, "Oh, no, wait, you've started again."

"His message has changed." Lunn called, obviously translating for Cass, "He's saying something different. He's saying…"

"What?"

"What?" the Doctor asked urgently.

"He's saying, the chamber will open tonight"

"Ok, now that the ghosts are out, get in the Faraday cage," Star told Clara, "you'll be safe in there."

"oh, but the phone signal won't be able to get though," the Doctor groaned at the little problem, "What you'll have to do, Clara, put the phone outside, and you can watch it through the little round porthole. And when you see it ringing, if it's safe to do so, go out and answer it."

"Ok, how long are you going to…" Clara began but the Doctor cut her off.

"Clara, listen to me. Don't let that phone out of your sight. We need to be able to reach you, I need to know everything my ghost does. Do you understand? We'll come back for you. I swear."

"Oh and Clara," Star called.

"I know," the corner of her lips curled into a small smile, "keep my mind open."

"Oh, am I really that predictable?"

"Not in the slightest."

She grinned at how well Clara knew exactly what to say to make her happy, "keep safe." She hung up on her.

"Come on." The Doctor turned to lead them outside again but stopped and turned to O'Donnell, "Oh, wait a minute. Not you, O'Donnell."

"Why not?" she demanded, ready to argue.

Because she was next on the list to die, "Someone needs to stay here and mind the shop. What if Clara calls?"

"The last bloke that said something like that to me got dangled out of a window."

"Maybe the Doctor's right." Bennett agreed "Maybe it's best if you stay here."

"Never going to happen. Seriously, have you actually met me?" she stormed back them.

"Well," Star clicked her tongue, "don't blame us if either of you get hurt or worse…"

~.~

"Prentis." The Doctor shouted as they ran back to the ship, only to find the alien lying on the casket, dead himself, the Fisher King nowhere in sight, "Prentis!"

"Guess that dead body wasn't so dead after all." O'Donnell muttered.

"And now we've got the writing." Bennett turned to the wall where the coordinates were no written.

"The Fisher King did it himself." The Doctor stated, "The future is still coming."

He was still likely to die.

"He's also taken the suspended animation chamber to the church," Star nodded to the dirty drag marks on the ground outside the ship.

"What was that?" O'Donnell gasped as the all heard a loud roar.

"We need to get back to the TARDIS." The Doctor deadpanned, "Now!"  
They took off in the direction of the TARDIS only for the roar to get louder as they got closer, making them duck into a narrow allyway, leading into one of the buildings.

"It's cut us off."

"Let's split up." O'Donnell decided, "Go on, Bennett." She urged him off as the Doctor ran down the corridor. Star watched as she turned down a corner, knowing this would be when she died. He name had been next on the list and now she was going off alone. She could run with her, probably could save her…but the time lines. Only heroes can save everyone and she was no hero.

"Star!" the Doctor yelled and Star made her decision, following him into a fake bathroom. He shut the door behind her and Bennett quickly blocked it with a chair. They ducked as the Fisher King roared, stomping past the broken window.

As the stomping faded they heard screaming, O'Donnell screaming and Bennett quickly took off, ignoring the Doctor shouting him to stop.

"Idiot," Star sneered as they quickly followed him to wear O'Donnell was on the floor, gasping and moaning in pain.

"Why did you come?" Bennett held her in his arms, "You shouldn't have come. I mean, you never listen to anyone. It drives me mad."

"To keep an eye on you, idiot." She breathed, "So, don't die."

"No." he closed his eyes as the woman died in his arms, and snapped them open as the Doctor and Star approached, "Who's next on the list? That list your ghost was saying, that's the order in which people are going to die, isn't it? I mean, I've only just figured that out. But you knew that all along, didn't you? Moran, Pritchard, Prentis, O'Donnell."

The Doctor sighed solemnly, "I thought perhaps, because her ghost wasn't there in the future, like Prentis's was, I thought maybe, maybe it wouldn't happen. Maybe she stood a chance."

"Yeah, but you didn't try very hard to stop her, though, did you? It was almost like you wanted to test your theory. So who's next?"

"Clara." Star nodded. She was the only person she would change the timelines for. For Clara, she would be a hero.

"Yeah. Yeah. Except now you're going to do something about it, aren't you? Yeah, because it's getting closer to you. You change history to save yourself but not to save O'Donnell. You wouldn't save her."

"We told her to stay in the TARDIS, to try and save her," Star argued, "it's not our fault she refused."

"You could have tried harder!"

Yes, she could have, but she didn't, because that wasn't her.

Not anymore.

"This isn't about saving me." The Doctor shook his head, "I'm a dead man walking. I'm changing history to save Clara."

~.~

"Big day for you." The Doctor remarked as they entered the TARDIS again, Bennett having calmed down slightly from mourning O'Donnell, "Time travel, twice!"

"Whoa, really?" he blinked, looking off put.

"Don't worry," Star smirked at him, "im sure that prawn sandwich wont turn up again."

"So, when are we going to?"

"Off the map." The Doctor answered, imputing the coordinates, "Out of the rule book. What if I don't die? What if I refuse? I'm going to go back to the base and I'm going to save Clara, because that's what I do. And I don't see anyone here who's going to stop me." He gave Star a pointed look, but she merely raised her hands in surrender.

"You know I am all for changing timelines and causing tidal waves and paradoxes." She stepped back out as they materialised, stopping dead when she realised they were still in the town, around the corner from where they parked earlier.

"No. No, no, no, no, no." the Doctor breathed as he spotted their past selves standing on the station.

"What?" Bennett frowned.

"We've moved half an hour backwards. I'm locked in my own time stream. The TARDIS won't let me leave."

"Well, what do we do?"

"Keep out of sight," Star shoved her hands in her pockets as they walked off.

"Until time catches up." The Doctor added.

"Prentis." Bennett spotted the alien ahead of them, "He's alive."

"No, he's just not dead yet. And we don't tell him."

"Yeah, but he's right there. I mean, we can just…"

"No!" Star glared, shoving him against the wall, dagger to his neck threateningly.

The Doctor gently tugged Star away from the human, "However that sentence ends, no, we can't. Save him, and you'll want to save O'Donnell. You can't cheat time. I just tried. You can't just go back and cut off tragedy at the root. Because you find yourself talking to someone you just saw dead on a slab. Because then you really do see ghosts. We don't tell him. Understand? Not a word. We don't have that right. Star, dagger away."

She continued to glare at Bennett as she shoved it back in her pocket, keeping her hand holding it as they walked off again.

~.~

They hid behind a group of bins and barrels, watching as their past selves, along with O'Donnell, as they spoke to Prentis as he handed them his business cards. Bennett got up to move only for Star to shove him back down as the Doctor dove on him to keep him hidden, hitting a bin in the process making on O'Donnell glance over at the noise.

The Doctor sighed as their past selves walked off and Prentis entered the ship, his coat now had the tear that his ghost had. This is what happened when you weren't strict enough with Star and her dagger, he should have known she'd be the one to rip his coat.

Star ran her hand along the rip, "there some needle and thread in the TARDIS. I can stitch it up. We need more time, we need to save Clara."

"I've got no choice now," he rubbed his face, "I have to face the Fisher King. You," he pointed at Bennett, "back to the TARDIS. And you," then at Star, "there's not really much point is there?" she wouldn't listen, the best he'd get is she'd take Bennett back and then follow him anyway. Between those two choices he'd rather have her with him from the start, at least she'd be in his sight then.

"Not in the slightest." She agreed.

He groaned at that.

~.~

"Hello!" Star called as she jumped the last few steps of the metal stairs inside the church as they followed the tracks to where the Fisher King was hiding in the basement.

"Shh," the Doctor shushed her before calling out himself, "we've come from the future. We've seen the chaos you cause. The bloodshed."

"Tell me what you have seen." A deep voice spoke from the shadows.

"Ghosts."

"Ghosts?"

"Souls wrenched from the dead. Repeating directions to here, to this spot, over and over."

"How many ghosts do I create?" It demanded, "How many!"

"Four that we know of. Maybe five by now. Probably more since we left."

"My ghosts will make more ghosts. Enough to bring an armada. Enough to wake me from my sleep."

"What will happen when your people arrive?" Star demanded to it.

"We will drain the oceans and put the humans in chains."

She laughed, "I've heard worse plans," she assured it.

"This world is protected!" the Doctor glared into the shadows, "by my daughter and I."

"Yes. Two people, lost in time." The Fisher King commented. "The seed of their destruction is already sown. They will die. The message will be sent. My people will come, and you will do nothing to stop it, Time Lords."

They heard stomping and turned to see the Fisher King come into view. A tall creature in a spiky armour. "Time Lords. Cowardly, vain curators who suddenly remembered they had teeth and became the most warlike race in the galaxy. But you, you!" he stomped towards them, making the Doctor stagger back against the open animation chamber. "You are both curious. You have seen the words, too. I can hear them tick inside you. But you are still locked in your history. Still slavishly protecting Time. Willing to die rather than change a word of the future. You will be a strong beacon. How many ghosts can I make of you?"

The Doctor straightened back up, "You know, you've got a lot in common with the Tivoleans. You'll both do anything to survive. They'll surrender to anyone. You will hijack other people's souls and turn them into electromagnetic projections. That will to endure. That refusal to ever cease. It's extraordinary. And it makes a fella think. Because you know what? If all I have to do to survive is tweak the future a bit, what's stopping me? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. The ripple effect. Maybe it will mean that the universe will be ruled by cats or something, in the future. But the way I see it, even a ghastly future is better than no future at all. You robbed those people of their deaths, made them nothing more than a message in a bottle. You violated something more important than Time. You bent the rules of life and death. So I am putting things straight. Here, now, this is where your story ends."

"There is nothing you can do." It threatened, aiming its large weaponised arm at them.

"Too late," Star shrugged, "I got rid of those words. I really didn't like them."

The Doctor nodded along with her, "The future we saw, none of that will happen now. The message will never contaminate my friends. No one will die. No one is coming to save you. That's the thing about knowing you're going to die. You've got nothing left to lose."

The Fisher King growled and pushed them aside as it stomped off.

"Come back and fight me!" Star yelled, trying to run after it only for the Doctor to hold her back by the collar of her jacket.

"Ah," the Doctor moaned quietly as he realised something. They had moved the power cell, counting down by the dam of the town, ready to flood the place but they didn't have enough time to get back to the TARDIS before she left sensing the danger. He glanced at Star as she patted the animation chamber and sighed, "you knew didn't you?" he asked her.

"You can complain later," she rolled her eyes, "but I'd rather not drown. Again."

~.~

The suspended animation chamber opened again in the main hangar as Clara, Cass and Lunn backed against in as the ghosts advanced on them.

"God it's cramped in there," Star groaned, standing up and stretching.

"Star!" Clara gasped at them, "Doctor!"

"You can kiss my if you like, I don't have morning breath like some people." She wafted her hand in front of her nose and mouth, mockingly.

"Shut up." The Doctor huffed as he scrambled out after her. "Follow me."

~.~

"What's that noise?" Clara inquired as they entered the main control room, hearing the Fisher Kings roar.

"It's the call of the Fisher King." The Doctor answered, turning to the monitors as the four ghosts walked into the Faraday cage where the Doctors 'ghost' was creating the roar. The Doctor pressed on his sonic glasses, shutting them up and his 'ghost' flickered out of existence, "The call of their master. Right! I need to remove the message from your minds. Lunn," he turned to the human, "you first."

The man sat down on one of the chairs as the Doctor placed the sonic on his eyes, having already done him and Star while they were in the chamber.

"So what was it?" Clara asked as she took Lunns place and the Doctor placed the sonic over her eyes, "Your ghost."

"A hologram. Like the one we made of you to lure the ghosts into the Faraday cage. With a soupçon of artificial intelligence, and a few pre-recorded phrases thrown in." he removed the sonic, "All beamed from the sonic glasses." He placed the sonic on Cass as she then took Clara's place, "As soon as you brought us and the chamber on board, it connected with the base's wi-fi and Bob's your uncle, you've got a ghost Doctor."

"Why no ghost Star as well then?"

"Oh please," she scoffed, "I'd know straight away that it was fake. As if I'm that easy to kill."

"And we'll be having a little talk later about somebody," the Doctor gave her a pointed looked, "knowing more than they let on."

"You're the one who insisted on keeping the timelines in order."

"That's not the point."

"Why did they only come out at night?" Clara cut in, sensing soon there would be an argument.

"Because they're electromagnetic projections that were out of phase with the base's day mode. Right." He took the sonic off Cass and she turned to Lunn for translation, "That's it. I've erased the memory of the writing. Though you might find you've lost a couple of other memories too. You know, like people you went to school with, or previous addresses or how to drink liquids. That's you two done. Where's Bennett?"

~.~

They found Bennett outside the Faraday cage, looking at the ghosts as they wandered around "What will happen to them?" he asked, seeing them in the doors reflection.

"UNIT will cut out the Faraday cage with them inside and take it away." The Doctor told him, "Then the space-hearse will be destroyed, so the writing doesn't infect anyone else."

"What do I do now?"

"I don't understand."

"You don't give up just because of one person now gone from your life," Star muttered bitterly.

Clara sighed softly as she walked to stand besides him, "You keep going. You have to. Take it from me, there is a whole world out there. A galaxy, a life. What would O'Donnell have wanted?"

"I need to erase that message from your mind, but it's fine, I'll do it later." The Doctor assured him, sensing the man wanted to be alone for a bit.

"Lunn. Will you translate something to Cass for me?" Bennett turned to him.

"Of course."

"Tell her that you're in love with her and that you always have been."

"What?"

"Tell her there is no point wasting time because things happen and then it's too late. Tell her I wish someone had given me that advice."

Cass stared at Lunn as he translated, "Oh, God, no." Lunn cried, "I was just passing on what he said. Please, don't feel…" he was cut off as Cass grabbed him and kissed him passionately.

Star rolled her eyes and looked away.

What was it with humans and relationships?

~.~

"What will UNIT do with the ghosts?" Clara asked as they dematerialised, dropping the crew off above the surface, the message gone from all of their minds.

"Drag the cage into space," the Doctor replied, "away from the Earth's magnetic field. With nothing to sustain them, the ghosts will eventually fade away."

"Here's what I don't understand. You did change the future. You stopped the Fisher King from returning."

"The Fisher King had been dead for a 150 years before we even got here. But once we went back, we became part of events. But here's the thing. The messages my ghost gave, they weren't for you, they were for me. That list. Everyone after you was random, but you being the next name, that's what made us confront the Fisher King."

"And saying the chamber will open?"

"That was me telling me to get inside and when to set it for."

Star snorted at that. He didn't know to get in the chamber, she had told him to.

"Smart." Clara looked impressed.

"Except that's not why I said them." The Doctor continued.

"How do you mean?"

"I programmed my ghost to say them because that's what my ghost had said. And the only reason I created my ghost hologram in the first place was because I saw it here. I was reverse engineering the narrative."

"Ok, that's still pretty smart."

"You still don't understand." Star shook her head, "When did he first have those ideas?"

"Well, it must have been," her eyes widened as she realised, "Wow."

"Exactly. Who composed Beethoven's Fifth?" he smiled and shrugged, "now if you don't mind I need a word with you." He tugged Star off as she whined in complaint.

~.~

Star sighed and she leaned back on her bed in her room, closing her eyes, growing tired of watching the Doctor pace back of forwards at the end of her bed, ranting.

"You knew exactly what was in the animation chamber but kept quiet?" he held up a hand to silence her as she opened her mouth to defend herself and he continued, "You knew it wasn't my real ghost, but again kept quiet. AND you knew exactly when O'Donnell was going to die, you debated going after her, but didn't. Why?" he sighed sitting on the edge of her bed, looking expectantly at her. "Well?" he asked as she remained quiet.

"Oh, am I allowed to speak now?" she asked, smirking.

"Nova…" he started, warningly.

"Ooh, real name, you must me mad, or upset."

He sighed, he really didn't know what to do with her anymore, "just tell me…is there anything else your hiding from me? Something you're not telling me?"

She'd been doing this for months now, she had kept quiet about Danny Pinks death and things had just gotten worse since she regenerated (she still refused to tell him what happened), he was just worried that there was something important about their future she wasn't telling him.

Without missing a beat she replied, "no, nothing." She met his eyes.

"Just promise me, no more secrets?" he pleaded softly. It was bad enough when he kept them from her, but when she kept things from him, it was terrible.

She nodded, "no more secrets."


	5. The girl who died

"Doctor!" Clara called through the comm of her spacesuit, "Star!"

"Yes, you're the very next thing on the list." The Doctor replied to her as he and Star rushed around the console, trying to keep the explosions to a minimal.

"Doctor, help me!" she continued to yell.

"Clara, we're under attack from four and a bit battle fleets. In case you think we're slacking."

"Give us 5 minutes maximum." Star called, jumping back from a spark.

"I think there's something in my space suit."

"Yes, that's possible, actually." The Doctor nodded, "You were too long in the spider mines."

"Explain?"

"It's possibly a Love Sprite. Sucks your brain. Careful," he warned as another explosion went off near Star, "sucks your brain out through your mouth, hence the name."

"It's halfway up my leg." She breathed.

"Don't worry, it's just hungry."

"Describe the four most interesting stars you can see." Star cut in urgently as she turned the scanner to face her.

"There's a blue one, quite big. Two little yellowish ones just below."

"Colour of whisky," the Doctor inquired, peering at the screen over Stars shoulder, "smaller one blinking?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed, "It's on the back of my neck, I can feel it."

"Great! I thought asphyxiation would kill you first. Can you see a nebula? Can you see a nebula in a sort of wing-shape? Bit green at the end?"

"Yes! Yes, I can."

"Great, I've seen it too. I wondered where it was."

Star pulled a lever and they materialised around Clara, she quickly pull the woman's helmet off and stepped on the Love Sprite repeatedly ensuring it was dead. Nothing! Ever survived her if it dare try to harm those she cared about. There was no way she was going to allow a stupid little Love Sprite kill her Clara!

"How did we do?" Clara coughed

"You're ever so welcome about saving you from the Love Sprite with MY perfect piloting skills." Star rolled her eyes, moving back to the console and materialising them on Earth.

"What about all the Velosians? Are they safe?"

"Huh?" the Doctor glanced at her, "Oh, yeah. Well, I lured their attackers halfway across the universe and drained their weapons banks. Not to mention, I also saved a school teacher from having her brains devoured and being asphyxiated in deep space."

"And if neither of you mind," Star grumbled, "I'm going outside to wipe my boot on the grass unless either of you want to argue I'll wipe it on you."

The Doctor quickly stepped back, "out you go."

"What's to stop them re-arming and trying again?" Clara wondered following Star outside into the darkened forest.

"Nothing." The Doctor answered as he headed outside to ensure Star didn't get into any trouble, "But the Velosians will be ready for them this time. It's the best I could do, Clara. I'm not actually the police, that's just what it says on the box."

She followed them outside, "You're always talking about what you can and can't do but you never tell me the rules."

"We're time travellers. We tread softly. It's okay to make ripples, but not tidal waves."

"You are a tidal wave."

The Doctor frowned at her, "Don't say that."

"I prefer to keep in the shadows, nowadays," Star added, "people never see you coming when you're in the shadows."

"I'm going to start sleeping with one eye open because of you," Clara pursed her lips.

Star merely grinned only to tense as she heard the sound of swords being drawn and placed against the trios necks with flaming torches lighting up as a group of large warriors approached.

"No, no, not Vikings" the Doctor moaned. "I'm not in the mood for Vikings."

"You're coming with us." One of the men, the red headed man with horns on his helmet, obviously the leader, spoke.

"No, I'm not. Do you want to know why?" he place the sonic sunglasses on his face, "On my face, right now, more advanced technology than your species will manage over the next nine million years." The Viking merely snatched the glasses and snapped them in half.

"Nope!" Star turned and headed back to the TARDIS doors away from the Vikings that she hated only for one to aim his sword at her chest and so she turned back to her original position, "we're going with the Vikings."

He sighed, "We don't have choice."

~.~

Star stomped her foot as they were escorted into the village after a two day boat ride with the Vikings. Vikings were not her thing, yeah, they had excellent weapons and awesome hair but apart from that they were just irritating and loud and drunk. The warriors were obviously popular among the locals as once the horn had sounded, signalling their return, they had all rushed over to greet them.

"Plan, Doctor?" Clara asked as they walked, the locals eying them, "Any time soon."

"I do have a plan." He nodded.

"Yeah, so you keep saying for two days on a longboat."

"Well, only because you were looking worried."

"Only because you kept saying 'I do have a plan.'"

"I do have a plan."

"There you go." She muttered.

Star paused and glanced back at a young Viking girl with brown hair, holding half of the sonic glasses.

"Star!" Clara huffed as she almost walked into the girl, following her gaze to the girl, "know her?"

"Not in the slightest." She turned as one man pushed them forwards again. She tilted her head inconsideration, why was the girl so remarkably similar?

"Then stop staring."

"Too much time travel," the Doctor shrugged off, "it happens."

"What happens?"

"People talk about premonition as if it's something strange. It's not. It's just remembering in the wrong direction."

"Okay, plan." Clara got back on point.

"We meet the boss man and we do the usual." He told her.

"Which is?"

"Replace him."

"Father…" the Vikings greeted the older man with a white beard and spoke to him quietly.

"If you use that yo-yo…" Star began warningly.

He just winked at her, "It's in my pocket somewhere." He held up his manacles in one hand and the yo-yo in the other, free from the restraints.

Clara blinked and turned to Star, if the Doctor was out so was she. She smirked and nodded to the Viking behind him, he was oblivious to the fact that his hands were now tied in the manacles. "You never even know I'm there." She winked at Clara.

The Doctor threw away his manacles and hit the old man squarely in the chest. The Vikings drew out their swords and weapons

"How dare you attack our Chieftain!" the head warrior sneered at him.

"I am very, very cross with you." The Doctor glared around at them all, "I am very disappointed. I have taken human form to walk among you."

"Who are you, old man?"

"Do you not recognise the sign of Odin?" he asked, showing them tricks with the yo-yo.

"You are not Odin, and that is not Odin's sign."

"And how would you know?" Star snarled, "None of you have EVER met us, for I am Hel. Fear me, mortals." If the Doctor was going to pretend to be a god then she'd have her fun with it as well. "or i'll send you down to my underworld."

Above them a loud horn sounded along with a clap of thunder and a large face with a winged helmet and eyepiece appeared in the clouds. "Oh, my people." The voice boomed above them, "I am Odin. And now your day of reward has finally dawned."

"Do not believe this foolish trickery!" the Doctor argued, unable to reel the yo-yo back up, "It's supposed to do that."

"Your mightiest warriors will feast with me tonight in the halls of Valhalla." As the voice spoke a ray of light appeared and 5 large robotic creature teleported down.

"Stay still." The Doctor warned quietly, as the trio slowly backed away, "Stay very, very still."

"That's not really Odin, is it?" Clara frowned.

Star scoffed, "what do you think."

"So this is an invasion."

"No, this is a harvest." The Doctor corrected, "The strongest, the fittest. The weak and young, they'll leave behind."

The alien robots scanned the group and the warriors were teleported away.

"We have to help them." Clara decided.

"We have to not get chosen."

"Clara," Star hissed as the woman ran over to the girl with half of the sonic. She eyed the aliens as they scanned them, obviously picking up on the alien technology as Clara got the girl to unchain her. She ran over just in time to get caught in the teleport beam.

Just what she wanted.

~.~

Star looked around the spaceship, blinking at the sudden change of lighting as the Viking warriors greeted them as both Clara and the young Viking girl got up.

"Welcome to Valhalla, my ladies." One man greeted them as the head Viking opened the door with his axe to show an empty corridor with circular fans on either wall with another door on the other side. He laughed, walking forwards.

"No. wait. Stop." Star warned.

"There's nothing to fear, strange maiden. We are Odin's chosen." The fans on the walls began to spin and he was caught in the energy discharge, disappearing, leaving his helmet and axe crashing to the ground.

"Warned you…dude."

"The wall, it moves!" a man gasped as the wall behind them began to slowly move forwards, urging them towards the corridor.

"Odin! Odin!" the young girl cried in terror.

"Use your blades, try to jam it!" Clara instructed.

"The door," Star grabbed Clara's spacesuit sleeve, "we need to open it." She quickly ran through the corridor, surprised that she wasn't sent to her death. It seemed Odin wanted her alive, hopefully the three of them. "Come on!"

"Come on!" Clara took the girls hands and they ran to join her. "Quick! Pull!" the three girls tried to pull the door apart.

The Viking men were forced into the corridor and the fans began to turn again...

~.~

Star placed a finger to her lips as she helped pull the young girl to her feet, wanting to keep her quiet in case she began to scream. She knew Clara wouldn't. But the girl had just seen her village warriors die before her very eyes, this was all new to her.

"Why are we still alive?" the girl whimpered, glancing around at the left over helmets and weapons as a green liquid was poured into vials.

"Because of this." the man who's face had appeared in the sky appeared before them, guarded with the large robots, holding up the half sonic glasses, "Explain."

Star shot Clara a wink as she sauntered forward, "sorry, if we frightened you. That was never the intention."

"I have no reason to fear you."

"I could argue with that. You've realised by now that that is alien technology. My civilisation is so much more powerful than yours. And in this universe alone there is only about…ooh, 3 and a half of us."

"And er, you will have also noticed that I'm wearing a space suit." Clara added.

"You can clearly see we are not from around here. And you haven't killed us yet because you know that would start a war. A war you can not possibly win." One of the aliens stomped past and handed 'Odin' a vial.

"Ooo, hello. Time for your medication?" Clara asked.

"Adrenaline. Testosterone extracted from the finest warriors." He drank it. "Ah! Nectar." He handed it to the alien again, the vial empty.

"Okay, you mash up Vikings to make warrior juice, nice." Clara grimaced in disgust.

"They what?" the girl cried.

"Why play God?"

"What is a god but the cattle's name for farmer?" he countered, "What is heaven but the gilded door of the abattoir?"

"You're not a farmer." Star countered, "You're a thief, caught in the act."

"Sounds familiar," Clara whispered making Star smirk in amusement.

"I don't understand." The girl shook her head, "Mashed up? What are you saying?"

"Shh," Star casted her a glance, unable to help but she how familiar the girl looked, "now go and find Vikings on other planets. The universe is full of testosterone. Trust me, it's unbearable and disgusting! Just now, and I won't harm you."

"War is our way." Odin stated.

"Ask yourself, is this a war you really want?" Clara inquired.

"Yes!" the girl exclaimed, finding her bravery from her shock, "You'll pay for what you have done here today. I am a Viking. Ashildr, daughter of Einarr. You have mocked our gods. Killed our warriors. And we will crush you on the field of battle."

"That's better!" Odin grinned. "You almost had me talking. Talk is for cowards."

"I am the complete opposite of a coward and I have a gob that doesn't stop." Star told him.

"I accept your challenge."

"We will crush you!" the girl, Ashildr, glared.

"And you will die!" Star agreed. If they wanted a war, she'd be on the front lines and she'd win.

"Hush, both of you," Clara hissed.

"Shall we say this time tomorrow? Ten of my warriors versus the best of your village."

"You will beg for mercy!" Ashildr warned.

Odin merely laughed, "I will send you back. You can inform your people of their impending destruction."

"Why are you doing this?" Clara demanded, seeing they were now going to war.

"Why else? The joy of war! Can't you see it on my face?" he pressed a button of his humanoid holographic face changed into another.

~.~

"Star!" the Doctor gasped as the three girls were teleported back down into the village. The locals already mourning their warriors as the Doctor told them they'd be dead.

"My child!" a local farmer rushed over and hugged Ashildr.

"Star!" the Doctor ran and spun her around, hugging her tightly.

"Cant…breathe…" she choked out.

He set her down again, "sorry." And stuck his thumb out at Clara, "I'm not a hugger."

"I know," she nodded, only for him to spin her around as well.

"Where are the others?" one man asked his daughter.

"I'm sorry, Father." Ashildr buried her face in his chest. This was all her fault.

"I looked them up in my two thousand year diary." The Doctor showed Star the information from his diary, "They are called the Mire. They are one of the deadliest warrior races in the entire galaxy but they're practical. They get what they want and go. You persuaded them to go, didn't you? I knew that you would."

"This village is at war with them," Star deadpanned.

"What?" he frowned, "what did you do?"

She glanced at Ashildr as the girl buried her face further into her fathers chest. She shrugged, "I insulted them."

~.~

What was left of the villagers as well as the three time travellers sat in one of the large rooms as Star explained the situation, taking blame for everything seeing that Ashildr, an innocent young girl, who was remarkably familiar, looked incredibly guilty.

"They're coming here tomorrow," Clara finished, "10 of them, to kill everybody in the village."

"Ashildr, is this true?" her father, Einarr, turned to her.

"It's my fault." She sniffed.

"Not every misfortune that befalls this village is down to you," he wrapped an arm around her in comfort, "She thinks she brings us bad luck."

"No, you were just upset and scared and confused," Star corrected. "For someone at your age to get teleported aboard an alien ship and see her warriors, maybe even her hero's, die like that. You were remarkable brave."

"We are about to be attacked by…" a stocky man began.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes." The Doctor cut him off, "With a whole day to spare! So leave! Hop it, take off! Into the woods, split up, hide. Hang about there for a week, come back home, make puddings and babies. That's basically what you do, isn't it?"

"We cannot leave this village." Einarr shook his head.

"Yes, you can. Just pick a direction. Fly like a bird, run like a nose. That's probably a Viking saying, I haven't checked that."

"No. We will fight!" the stocky man shouted and everyone yelled and cheered in agreement.

"With what fighters?" Star argued.

"I don't know if you remember," the Doctor continued, "but they actually took away all your fighters. So, what are you? Farmers, fishermen, web designers. Maybe not that last one."

Einarr tossed a skin full of weapons onto the floor before them, "We are Vikings!"

"Ok, tell me this. How many people here have actually held a sword in battle? By a show of hands? Mmm hmm. Yeah, baby." He raised his hand glancing around the room as Star raised her, even Clara. He looked at her in surprise, but she shrugged him off, "The Mire are coming for each and every one of you. So what you going to do? Raise crops at them?"

"If necessary."

"Do Vikings know sarcasm?" Star tilted her head in wonder.

"We're not cowards." Einarr stated firmly, "We do not run. A death in battle is a death with honour."

"Aye!" they all agreed.

"Do babies die with honour?" the Doctor inquired as they fell silent, a young girl crying in the distance. He closed his eyes as he translated, '"I am afraid, Mother. Hold me, Mother. I am afraid.'"

"Er, he speaks Baby." Clara informed the confused Vikings.

"'Turn your face towards me, Mother, for you're, you're beautiful. And I will sing for you. I am afraid, but I will sing. Babies think that laughter is singing. Did you know that? I applaud your courage, but I deplore your stupidity. And I will mourn your deaths, which will be terrifying, painful, and without honour.'" He sighed and began to leave.

"Stay." Ashidlr stood up to stop him, "You could help us. I know you could."

He looked at her, "I told you to run. That's all the help you need. And that's all the help you're getting." He walked outside in silence, leaving the villagers without hope.

Star arched an eyebrow at Clara's pointed look and chose to speak telepathically for privacy, _'The Earth is safe. It's just one village. One village with just a few people, no one important.'_

"If you won't talk to him," Clara stood up, huffing, "I will."

Star watched as she stormed out after the Doctor and sighed before following to find them standing outside.

"Suppose I saved it by some miracle." The Doctor murmured, "No TARDIS, no sonic. Just one village defeats the Mire. What then? Word gets around. Earth becomes a target of strategic value, and the Mire come back. And God knows what else. Ripples into tidal waves until everybody dies."

"What's it saying?" Clara asked, hearing the baby cry.

"She." Star corrected. "She's afraid."

"Babies sense danger." The Doctor explained, "They have to."

"Tell me." Clara spoke softly.

"'Mother, I hear thunder. Mother, I hear shouting. You are my world, but I hear other worlds now. Beyond the unfolding of your smile, is there other kindness? I'm afraid. Will they be kind? The sky is crying now. Fire in the water. Fire in the water?'"

Clara smiled as the baby quietened, "You just decided to stay." She placed a hand on his cheek as he looked at her questioningly, "The baby stopped crying."

~.~

Star had begun to help train the villagers but had quickly giving up after giving them their swords and one man had stabbed his leg. She had purposely told them to be careful of the pointy end and point it away from themselves and stick it at the enemy. But she'd left the Doctor to train them, merely watching from the side with Clara and Ashildr. As the Doctor gave them wooden swords to practice with along with their own nicknames. This was not a good plan.

"Well that could have gone better," she stated, standing next to Clara as the Doctor sat on a stump, head in hands besides Heidi as the man laid unconscious on the ground. The villagers were rushing around to try and put out the fire that was burning.

Heidi groaned as he awoke, "What happened?"

"The Big Bang," the Doctor deadpanned, "dinosaurs, bipeds, and a mounting sense of futility."

"More recently," Clara sighed, "Chuckles hit Lofty over the head, on his helmet, with his sword, which knocked him out. There was a little blood, which you saw," the man fainted at the sight of blood, "and did that. Only, the first time you did it, you knocked a torch onto some hay, which spooked a horse, who kicked open a gate, and er, I'm sure you can fill in the rest."

"Weird sounding thunder." Clara remarked as she, Star and the Doctor sat outside the Meeting House that evening listening to the booms in the sky as the villagers sat inside having what was likely their final feast.

"That's not thunder." The Doctor murmured, "It's the weapon forges of the Mire. They're making sure we hear them."

"Well?"

"Well, Heidi faints at the mention of blood, not just the sight any more. He's actually upgraded his phobia. Chuckles," (Ashildr's father,) "he questions every single order you give him, which is going to be a little bit difficult, a little bit tricky, in the heat of battle."

"I keep waiting to hear what your real plan is."

"Teaching them to fight, that's the only plan I've got."

"Turning them into fighters? That's not like you."

"Yeah." Star snorted, "I used to believe that too." She used to have so much faith and hope with him. Admired him to no end, but then she realised she too was pretty amazing, while he destroyed Gallifrey, she ended up saving it. She was brilliant herself.

"What happened?" Clara asked.

"I became my own hero."

The Doctor just sighed, "Oh, Clara Oswald what have I made of you?"

Clara shook her head, "It doesn't matter how well you train them, it's not going to make difference."

"They'll die fighting with honour." Star commented, "To a Viking, that's all the difference in the world."

"A good death? Is that the best they can hope for?"

"A good death is the best anyone can hope for," the Doctor added, "unless you happen to be immortal."

Sometimes Time Lords lived too long.

"Sorry." Ashildr murmured as she left the Meeting House, sheepish that she cut into their conversation.

"No problem." Clara smiled.

"Night." The Doctor waved her on.

"You've made an impact there."

"Stop it."

"She's nice. Fight you for her."

"Yeah!" Star scoffed, "like you could win against me."

"Ah ha! So you still have a fondness for humans."

"I have a fondness for anyone who I feel deserves me."

"I feel so honoured, Lady Star."

"Don't call me that," she grumbled, turning her back on Clara as she watched Ashildr disappear into another house. What was it about that girl that was so familiar? She knew she had seen that face before, but where? And when?

"The human race," the Doctor rolled his eyes, "you're obsessed. You all need to get a hobby."

"I've got a hobby, thanks. It's you, by the way." Clara informed them.

"I thought we we're your family?"

"You can be both."

"Tomorrow it's going to be a bloodbath."

"Never gonna happen."

"These people all died hundreds of years before you were born."

"I'm not running." She argued.

"I have a duty of care."

"No, you don't, because I never asked for that."

"Star?" he glanced at her.

She didn't even act as though she heard him, "I'm not you."

He sighed, "Every time we do something like this, I keep thinking, what if something happens to you?"

"Well, stop thinking about me," Clara narrowed her eyes warningly, "and start thinking about them, because you're missing something."

"What?"

"How you're going to win. You always miss it, right up until the last minute. So put down your sword, stop playing soldier and look for it. Start winning, Doctor. It's what you're good at."

"She has a point," Star shrugged innocently.

"Shut up." He huffed at being ganged up upon by the two of them.

~.~

Star poked her head through the door of the house Ashildr had entered earlier and saw the girl alone with a wooden stave as she stood before a wooden puppet.

"So, we meet again, Fake Odin. Valhalla burns around you, your army is destroyed and now it is time for you to die!"

Star smirked, "not interrupting, am I?" she called.

Ashildr gasped and spun to face her, "How long have you been there?"

"Probably longer than you'd like. Don't worry, I won't tell the others. So you make puppets when you're nervous? Or frightened?"

"When the raiding parties go out, I make up stories about their battles."

"Because if you make up the right story, then you think it will keep them safe and they'll all come home. That's ok. You're not the first person to ever have done that."

"Why are you here?"

"I saw you come in, didn't see you leave. What do you think our chances are tomorrow?" Star wondered of her, "do you think we'll win?"

"No." she whispered, "We will be cut down like corn. By this time tomorrow, every single one of us will be dead."

"Then why are you still here?"

"There's nowhere for me except here. This is my place. The sky, the hills, the sea, the people. Is there nowhere like that for you?"

"Used to be," she shrugged, "but I didn't belong as well as I thought. I have no place there, or anywhere."

"I pity you."

"A lot of people say that. But I'm happy."

"You think they're all idiots, don't you?"

"I think everyone apart for me and Clara are idiots." She nodded.

"But they're kind and brave, and strong, and I love them."

"Maybe so. But you'll still all die in battle."

"I've always been different. All my life I've known that. The girls all thought I was a boy. The boys all said I was just a girl. My head is always full of stories. I know I'm strange. Everyone knows I'm strange. But here I'm loved. You tell me to run to save my life. I tell you that leaving this place would be death itself."

"if you want to run and safe yourself go ahead. If you wish to stay and die with those you love and who love you, I won't stop you."

"There you are," the Doctor entered along with Chuckles, "I wondered what trouble you were causing."

"Trouble? Me?" Star smirked at him, "no, it's you that trouble always finds. I'm just stuck following you."

"I cannot keep you safe." Chuckles murmured to his daughter, pulling her into a hug, "I do not have the strength. But I will try to till the last beat of my heart. If you seek to mock me in this moment…" he peered over at the Doctor.

"No. No." the Doctor shook his head, looking away from the hugging father and daughter, "No, you go ahead and you cry all you like. While you're doing that, I'll just hug my daughter as well. Although, speaking of crying, is that baby getting closer?" he peeked outside to see Lofty carrying the baby through the village, "Why has Lofty stolen a baby?"

"That's his child." Ashildr informed him.

"Oh. Where's he taking her?"

"The boathouse. He takes her to the boathouse when she won't settle. She likes the fish."

"Why would she? Fire in the water. Fire in the water. Fire in the Fire in the water. Fire in the water? Fire in the water! That's it. That's it. That's what I've been missing. Clara, I've found it!" he ran out to find the woman.

"Oi!" Star yelled after him, "what about my hug?!" she pouted and turned to Ashildr, "I don't think I'm gonna get my hug."

Ashildr laughed as Star ran after him. There was something about Ashildr that made Star just want to see her laugh and smile. It was almost like she just assumed that Ashildr rarely smiled, like the face with usually fixed with a sneer.

~.~

"Lofty!" the Doctor grinned as he ran into the boathouse to find the man bobbing the baby up and down before the large barrels of water, "I had no idea that was your baby. Hello, baby, I had no idea this was your junior parent."

"I'm trying to settle her." he explained, "She likes all the fish."

Clara ran in with Star, Ashildr and Chuckles, "You're shouting. What's happened? Did you take Star's dagger and stab yourself with it?"

He never learnt, the most important rule in the entire universe was there you NEVER ever lay even a finger on Stars dagger without permission, and no one got permission.

"Chuckles, bedtime is cancelled." The Doctor continued, "Everybody, off the hard stuff. We've got a long night's work ahead of us. I need a blacksmith. Who's the blacksmith?"

"I'm the blacksmith." Lofty answered.

"You're joking," Star deadpanned.

"You're the blacksmith and you've got a baby too?" the Doctor blinked, "He's been at it hammer and tongs."

"Doctor, explain." Clara cut in, "What's happening?"

"There's going to be a war tomorrow. And here's some news, this just in. We're going to win the hell out of it."

"How?"

"Ashildr, this is your village, and you will never have to leave it, I swear."

"Seriously, how?" Clara repeated.

"I told you that we were basically doomed. Did no one in this two-horn town think to mention that you had eels?"

"Eels?" Star stared.

"I give you fire in the water!" he cheered, "Electric eels!"

"Electric eels?" Star opened her mouth to argue, before simply shaking her head and closing it again. There goes everything she learnt about Vikings, "you may want to change your daughter, by the way." She added to Lofty.

"Plan, then?" Clara huffed.

"And it is a doozy!" the Doctor grinned.

~.~

Star grinned as she swung Clara around, making her laugh as they dancing in the Meeting House along with the other villagers as the Doctor stood smiling softly watching them, avoiding Lofty as he threw horseshoes onto the metal rings.

"Oh!" Star was the first to notice Odin enter with his Mire warriors, "have you dudes come to join the party!"

The Doctor grinned as he walked over, "It's lovely to meet you face to er convincing hologram. You could always go zzz and get rid of it, no? No, on second thoughts, don't. That, that, that suits you."

"It is time to fight." Odin stated.

"I decided i couldn't be bothered to fight, so I created this rather spectacular party!" Star threw her arms out wide, gesturing around as everyone cheered in delight.

"Let me put it another way. You fight or you die."

"We're unarmed." The Doctor said, holding his arms up in surrender. They really were, Star had (after a lot of complaining) agreed to leave her dagger outside of the hut, so when the Mire did scan for weapons they wouldn't pick it up, "There isn't a single weapon in this room. Which I'm sure your systems are telling you. You wouldn't open fire on unarmed civilians, would you?"

"It wouldn't be the first time."

The Mire looked up as one of Lofty's horseshoes hit one of the warriors armour. They spotted the copper wires attached to the candle holders.

"Chuckles, now!" the Doctor shouted and the man hit the barrels of eels, sending the electricity through the wires from the boat house and too the Mire. "Run, run, run-run-run-run! That's four down, six left."

"Go!" Odin ordered and the Mire stomped forwards.

"Chuckles, switch!"

More electricity seared through another set of wires, sending the magnetised weapons to the roof, along with their helmets, reliving their large mouths with long sharp teeth.

"Chuckles, off!"

The weapons and helmets fell back to the fall, the Doctor caught a helmet as both Star and Clara grabbed a weapon each.

"Don't move!" the Time Lady warned threateningly.

"How's it coming?" Clara whispered to the Doctor as he worked on the helmet as the villagers scrambled around, distracting the surviving Mire.

"Reversing the polarity of the neutron flow." He replied, "I bet that means something. It sounds great. Ashildr!" the girl hurried over to the large chair by the far wall, "Are you ready?"

"I'm scared." She whimpered.

"You were born for this. Show them a story they'll never forget."

"Don't worry, you'll be fine," Star smiled assuringly, "I promise." And she never broke her promises.

The Doctor gently set the helmet on Ashildr.

"Do you need me to hold it?" Star asked softly.

"I've got it," Ashildr responded, holding the helmet steady as the doors burst open and a large, badly made wooded puppet of a dragon she created rolled in.

"What is this beast?" Odin gasped, him and his Mire warriors only able to see a long necked Wyrm, "It's impossible!"

"Withdraw. Withdraw."

"Stand and fight!" Odin yelled but the weapons had no effect on wood.

"Withdraw."

And with that the Mire teleported.

"Greatest warriors in the galaxy," Star mocked.

"Cowards!" Odin cried.

"That's enough, Ashildr." And by Odins face they knew he had seen just how silly it had been that he was afraid of a badly made puppet.

"Story's over." The Doctor remarked, "Happy ending."

"What trickery is this?" Odin glared as the villagers surrounded him with swords, pointy end at him.

"Ha! Says the man with a fake face. But you see, that's the trouble with viewing reality through technology. It's all too easy to feed in a new reality."

"You got it? Great." Clara took her phone back from Heildi as they had filmed the whole thing.

"A story to save a town, and a puppet from a nightmare. You see, you've just seen the world through the eyes of a storyteller. The mighty armies of the Mire. Brutal, sadistic, undefeated. Even I believed the stories. But after today, no one will again. An army like yours, it lives or dies on its reputation, its story. And today, you were sent packing by a handful of farmers and fisherman. Not to mention the whole wetting your pants and running away from a puppet debacle."

"See, that was really funny." Clara laughed.

"That was hilarious." The Doctor agreed.

"Isn't it lucky that no one filmed it," Star smirked, "oh, wait! Oops, we did."

"See, all it needed was the Benny Hill theme." Clara grinned.

The Doctor nodded, "The Benny Hill theme, yes. Now, you see, we could just keep this as a funny little film and play it every year at the Christmas party, or I could upload it to the galactic hub and get a second opinion. So the question you need to ask yourself is this. Just how important is your reputation to you? Here's a little sneak preview, piped straight into your helmets, free of charge."

Clara played the video, showing them it as the Mire and Odin backed away in fear from the wooden puppet.

"If you don't leave right now, I'll put it out there for all to see and no one will fear you again."

"This humiliation will not go unpunished. We will meet again." Odin threatened.

"Yeah, yeah," Star waved him off, "whatever."

"Oh, I hacked your teleporter." The Doctor added, teleporting the man away, "Sorry."

"You did it, Ashildr." Chuckles went to his daughter as the Mire ship flew away, "You did it. You saved us all. Ashildr."

The room fell silent when the girl didn't move or speak.

"Ashildr? Ashildr!"

"Get the helmet off her." Clara cried, "Get it off, now."

Chuckles quickly did so, dropping it with a thud as he stroked his daughters cold cheek as her head hung forwards. "Ashildr?" he laid on her the floor and Clara quickly checked her pulse.

"No pulse. I think. Doctor, is she dead?"

"I'm sorry." The Doctor murmured, "I'm really terribly sorry." He ran outside.

Clara looked pointedly at Star.

"What?" the girl looked back blankly.

"Nothing, really?"

"I just…"she blinked rapidly, her breath catching in her throat, "stay here a moment." And quickly followed the Doctor outside.

~.~

"I finally figured out where I recognised Ashildr from," Star called softly as she found the Doctor in the boathouse, staring at his reflection through the barrels of water. She paused waiting for any reaction but he merely stared so she continued, "You used her up as a battery."

"Yeah," he swallowed thickly, "Im so sick of loosing people."

"You didn't lose." Clara reminded him softly as she hesitantly entered unsure if they had had long enough privacy. She just couldn't wait and hope Star sorted everyone out, she had to be there to know herself to be sure, "You saved the town."

"I don't mean the war. I'll lose any war you like. I'm sick of losing people. Look at you, with your eyes, and your never giving up, and your anger, and your kindness. One day, the memory of that will hurt so much that I won't be able to breathe, and I'll do what I always do. I'll get in my box and I'll run and I'll run, and drag Star with me, in case all the pain ever catches up. And every place I go, it will be there."

"You did your best. She died. There's nothing you can do."

"I can do anything. There's nothing I can't do. Nothing. But I'm not supposed to. Ripples, tidal waves, rules. I'm not supposed to."

"Look, just shut up a minute!" Star snapped, "Clara wait outside I need a private word."

"Sure." She nodded heading out.

"Do you remember the last time you had dark thoughts of saving those you couldn't. On Bowie Base One, Time Lord Victorious."

He scoffed, "don't remind me."

"Remember a few months early, on the Dalek Crucible, the girl there. The trapped, scared brunette with nothing but a sneer and dark look. A dirty warrior…" she swallowed, she hated thinking about that and really hoped he understood where she was coming from, "I know why I thought I recognised Ashildr…"

He stared at her a minute in silence, his brow furrowed as he worked out what she mean, "Oh. Oh!" his eyes widened and he looked back at his reflection. "My face. I think I know what I'm trying to say. I know where I got this face, and I know what it's for...It's to remind me."

She blinked, crossing her arms as she leaned against a barrel next to him, "how? Remind you of what?"

"This face!" he grinned, gesturing to it, "I've seen it before when I was in Pompeii! It's to remind me. To hold me to the mark. I'm the Doctor, and I save people. And if anyone happens to be listening, and you've got any kind of a problem with that, to hell with you!" he ran outside leaving Star trailing after him.

If they ever find Gallifrey again then it was highly possible he'd get put on trial and then made president.

Again.

~.~

"What's he doing?" Chuckles asked as he held his daughters dead hand as she laid on a pile of furs, watching as the Doctor worked on the Mires helmet.

"Saving her," Clara commented, "I think." It was what she could work out when the Doctor had ran past her with Star dawdling behind. She didn't get an answer from either of them only that the girl just had the face of someone worth saving. Whatever that meant.

The Doctor held up a small gold chip, "It's from the Mire helmet. Battlefield medical kit. I've reprogrammed it for human beings." He gently placed it on Ashildrs forehead and it absorbed into her.

"It's gone." Chuckles gasped, "It's inside her."

"It's repairing her. It will never stop repairing her, if it works. Come on, Ashildr. Come on. The story's not over yet."

"Daughter, listen to me." Chuckles whispered, stroking her hair, "This town has lost so much. If we lose you too there'll be nothing left."

The room was silent as they hoped and waited. Unable to bare the fact that he failed the Doctor turned and hugged Star, she hugged him back when Ashildr gasped and her eyes fluttered open for a moment.

"Ashildr!"

The Doctor let out a breath, "She'll be conscious in a day, up and about in three. No swimming for a week. Now, we're going to need a longboat and some of your best rowers. We're two days' sail from the TARDIS. Come on, Clara."

"Wait, no. She'll want to see you when she wakes."

"Oh, no. Well, she'll, she'll see me often enough once she understands."

"Understands what?" Chuckles shook his head.

Star glanced up at the Doctor before taking the sonic glasses from him, quickly tampering with the Mire helmet herself, and tossing the man a second chip before quickly shoving her hands in her pockets.

"Does she need to take this?"

"No. just…tell her it's for whoever she chooses."

"Thank you." Ashildr whispered out.

"Cya later!" She waved the thank you off as she headed out.

~.~

"Ok, it's official." Clara broke the silence as they walked through the woods back to the TARDIS, "Silence is even worse in a Scottish accent. Are you going to tell me what you're brooding about?"

"It won't stop," he sighed, "the repair kit I put inside Ashildr, not ever. It'll just keep fixing her."

"Well, good."

"It's not," Star argued, "because now she's lost the ability to die."

"The ability?"

"It'll NEVER stop repairing her. She's now immortal. Even more than us."

"But if the repair kit never stops working, then why did you make her a second?" Clara shook her head.

"So she wouldn't be alone." Star shrugged and she entered the TARDIS.

"Immortality isn't living forever." The Doctor exhaled, "That's not what it feels like. Immortality is everybody else dying. She might meet someone she can't bear to lose. That happens, I believe. I was angry. I was emotional. Just possibly, I have made a terrible mistake. Maybe even a tidal wave." He pulled a lever and dematerialised, "Time will tell, it always does."

"Whatever you did for Ashildr, I think she deserved it."

"Yes. Yes, she did. But Ashildr isn't just human any more. There's a little piece of alien inside her, so in a way, she's. In a way, she's a hybrid."

"Part human…part Mire." Star stated. A Viking human who believe that dying in a war meant a death with honour with part of a warrior race who fought for fun. Good luck universe in the future.

Ashildr, was trapped in her own body, everyone she knew and loved would die while she never aged or change.

It sucked. And it would kill her.


	6. The woman who lived

"1651." Star stated, stepping out of the TARDIS into the dark forest.

"Right." The Doctor nodded, stepping out after her with a small handheld device with a compass on top, as he turned in the different directions the device beeped softly before, a red light illuminating, "warm," and an orange light lit up the compass, "warmer. This way." He led Star off.

The girl shut the door before following the Doctor through the trees.

"I still say we should have waited," Star complained as they walked, "Clara wouldn't want to miss this."

"Shh," the Doctor hissed, listening as the device increased in beeps as they approached a stray carriage stopped in the middle of the road. The Doctor, of course, squeezed through the window, startling the two people inside, while Star merely hoped on the roof.

"Hello," she greeted the highwayman as he had his gun pointed at the couple in the carriage, obviously in the middle of a robbery.

"Oh, don't mind us." The Doctor waved off, "We're only going to be a minute. Don't worry. Oh, very warm."

"What are you doing?" the highwayman demanded.

"Oh, just ignore us, just passing through, like fish in the night."

"This is a robbery!"

"It's not fish in the night, it's something else." The Doctor frowned as he scrambled back out of the carriage.

"This is my robbery."

"No, ships in the night. Yeah, something like that."

"I prefer creatures of the night," Star corrected.

"Well, you would."

"Don't say it like that. That's just mean."

"Step aside or I shall blow your brains out." The highwayman threatened.

The Doctor looked over, only now noticing the person on a horse, "Sorry, were you talking to me there? Try again. I promise I'll listen this time."

"You have interrupted my robbery, sir, and you will step away, if you wish to take another breath."

"You're going to get us all killed, if you don't shut your mouth." The coachman hissed

"Sorry. Sorry, I really was planning to listen that time but, basically, I didn't. Usually, someone hits me at this point."

"But she's taking the Year 7s for Taekwondo." Star reminded him. They had gone to pick up Clara, but the woman had told them to come back in a few hours. The nerve! She refused to come with them. Making them be alone for an extra few hours. "I still don't see why we didn't just cut ahead a few hours. I want her."

"Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!" the Doctor followed his device to the trunk at the back of the carriage. "Yes! Got you! Oh, hang on. If I didn't know better, I'd say this was a robbery."

"No, really," Star remarked, sarcastically, as she joined him.

"I am robbing these people." The highwayman huffed, "You are getting out of my way."

"And you're doing an excellent job at robbing them."

"We just need one tiny little thing from out of this box." The Doctor added.

"This is my robbery!"

"Well, can't we share it? Isn't that what robbery's all about?"

"Yah! Get up!"

"Oi! Get back here you miserable little…" Star yelled as the carriage rode off. "Neanderthal!"

"You bungled my heist." The highwayman glared through his mask.

"No, you bungled mine, Zorro!" the Doctor argued.

"Whey-faced fool!"

"At least we show our faces!" Star sneered, "What's wrong with yours? Scared you'll get caught."

"Not at all, Star." The masculine voice disappeared to a familiar feminine one. The highwayman, or more woman, dismounted her horse, removing her hat and mask to reveal…Ashildr.

"You…" she breathed.

"Yes, it is me. What took you so long?"

"How did you know it was us?" the Doctor questioned her.

"You don't forget the people who saved your life. It's good to see you."

"Yes, I didn't get that impression when you were threatening to kill us."

Ashildr changed her voice back into the masculine one, "The Knightmare has a reputation to maintain."

"You care about your reputation?" Star grimaced at the very idea. She certainly didnt. Lots of people had different opinions on her. Some said she was a bad girl, some said it was for attention, some said she was just a spoil daddy's little princess. She wasn't too keen on that last one, she wasn't spoilt, and she was a queen not a princess.

"How do you do that?" the Doctor asked, impressed.

"Practice." She waved off.

"Last time we saw you, you were founding a leper colony." Star remarked.

"You weren't even there." Ashildr scoffed.

Star smirked, "I'm very good at hiding in the shadows."

"And you just left me there?"

"Well, you seemed fine." The Doctor defended.

"In a leper colony?" she shook her head, "No matter. You're here now. We should celebrate."

"Oh, no, this isn't a visit, we've got a job to do. We're here looking for an alien object which has no business being here on Earth in 1651. It was just, it just so happened, you know, that my tracking device, it led me to the carriage that you were, you know, robbing. There wasn't. I didn't. It was a…"

"You mean, you haven't come for me?" Ashildr frowned.

"No. It was just a coincidence."

"Ashildr…" Star began.

She looked at her sharply at that, "Who's Ashildr?"

She knew exactly what that meant. If she could play it that way, "no one, just someone you remind me off."

The Doctor cut her off, clapping his hand over her mouth, "you are Ashidlr. That's your name. Ashildr, daughter of Einarr. Chuckles. I used to call him Chuckles. Do you remember?"

"Yes." She frowned in thought, "I think I remember the village."

"You loved that village."

"If you say so."

"Anyone in that village would have died for you."

"Well, they're all dead now, and here I am. So, I guess it all worked out."

"No, I've had enough doing this with Star," he snapped, "let alone with you, Ashidlr…"

"That's not my name. I don't even remember that name."

"What's your name now?" Star demanded.

"Me."

"Yes, you." The Doctor rolled his eyes, "There's nobody else here."

"No. I call myself Me." She explained, "All the other names I chose died with whoever knew me. Me is who I am now. No one's mother, daughter, wife. My own companion. Singular. Unattached. Alone. Anyway, I should get started. Jump on, I'll give you a ride. You can help me."

"Help you do what?" Star raised as eyebrow.

"Pack. Come on." She looked back at them as she remounted her horse.

"Don't treat me like im a dog," Star narrowed her eyes but joined her anyway. She was more like a cat, always ready to pounce, legends say they work with witches. Not to mention they looked cute and innocent but were always up to no good. She should get a cat.

~.~

"It's a big place for someone who lives on their own." The Doctor commented as Ashildr led them up the driveway to the large country manor house.

"I have a servant." She waved off, "And all manner of visitors drop in."

"Oh, I bet." Star gave a coy smirk as she glanced around the dark driveway.

"Your device, what is it?" Ashildr nodded to the device in the Doctor's hand as she led them down the corridors.

"My curioscanner? Oh, it, er, it sort of scans for, it scans for curios. I've just realising how it got its name." he laughed, "It's been tracking exoplanetary energy for the last couple of weeks. Star and I have been following it across the galaxy."

"And do you know what you're looking for?"

"I've got a pretty good idea, yes. Why?"

"I wasn't just robbing Lucie Fanshawe for her loot." She told them, opening a chest full of gold, "She's bragged about having the rarest gem in the land, an ancient amulet from foreign parts. Could it be we are looking for the same prize?"

"Clearly, you don't need money." Star eyed the money in admiration, "So reasons for robbing? Make it a good one."

"For the adventure." She answered, adding her collection from the night before shutting the chest, "Isn't that what life's all about?"

"Yeah."

"I've had 800 years of adventure," she told them, leading them down the corridor into the large library, "enough to fill a library if you write it down."

"A medieval queen?" the Doctor raised an eyebrow as he pick up an old crown from the desk before them, "How exciting."

"You'd think. It was paperwork and backgammon mainly, as I recall. Ended up faking my own death. Did a bunk before the evisceration. Now this was much more my thing." She held up a longbow, that was almost as tall as herself, "The Battle of Agincourt. My first stint as a man. No-one will ever know that a mere woman helped end the Hundred Years' War."

"Make that two woman," Star sent the girl a wink. Oh, she loved any excuse to get dirty and to kill. It was so much more fun out of the front lines.

"You're immortal, not indestructible." The Doctor reminded her, "You can be hurt, killed even."

"10,000 hours is all it takes to master any skill. Over a 100,000 hours and you're the best there's ever been. I don't need to be indestructible, I'm superb. You should have seen me. I could shoot six arrows a minute. I got so close to the enemy, I penetrated armour."

"How many people have you killed?" Star asked, trying and failing to hide her admiration. This girl was just over 100 years older than her and was already, as much as she hated to say it, more superb than her. She knew exactly how to survive alone.

"You'll have to check my diaries. For what it's worth, I've saved many lives too." She added, "I cured an entire village of scarlet fever once, almost got drowned as a witch for my troubles. Fortunately, I'm really good at holding my breath. Ungrateful peasants." She sneered at the reminder.

"The Black Death, 1348." The Doctor looked at the beaked leather hood of a plague doctor, "I meant to warn you."

"I got sick, but I got better."

"Of course, your immune system is learning too. There's another bout coming. And a big fire that tears through London."

"Excellent. Maybe I start it."

"Sorry, not sorry," Star called, "I beat you too it."

Despite herself she couldn't help ask; "how?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." She smirked. Honestly, she didn't know what had happened herself, it had been ages ago, back in her 4th regeneration. She wanted to make a cake from Amy and Rory congratulating them on their wedding but then there had been an alien invasion and it had gotten burnt, taking the bakery and London with it. But back then it had been an accident.

"You should try my journals." Ashildr continued, "I read them myself now and then. Drink pomace wine, have a little me time."

"You don't seem the nostalgic type." The Doctor eyed her.

"It's not nostalgia, it's curiosity. I can't remember most of it. That's the trouble with an infinite life and a normal sized memory."

"It's not easy, outliving those you…love." Star murmured.

"According to my journals, hell."

"Sorry." The Doctor muttered. This had been his fault, he had been the one who made her immortal, it had been lucky Star had asked him to make a second one for her.

"You'll have to remind me, what's sorrow like?" Ashildr narrowed her eyes as she sat at her desk, putting her feet up, "It all just runs out, Doctor. I'm just what's left. In fact, I've done all I can here. I look up to the sky and wonder what it's like out there. Please, take me with you. All these people here, they're like smoke, they blow away in a moment. You don't know what it's like."

"Believe me…" Star shot her a dark look, "we do."

"Then, however you fly, whatever ship you sail in, take me with you."

"How'd you know we had a ship?" the Doctor frowned.

"Because I'm incredibly clever." She quickly waved off, "It doesn't matter. Take me with you." She continued at their silence, seeing Star looking as though she wanted to speak but the Doctor was keeping her quiet, "This thing you're looking for, I'll help you find it. It'll be quicker."

"We don't need your help." The Doctor argued. They didn't, he had his curioscanner and if they ran into any trouble he had faith that Star would be able to handle it. She was brilliant like that.

"Yes, you do. I know where Lucie Fanshawe lives, and I'm an excellent house-breaker. We'll leave in an hour." And with that she got up and left them in the library.

"'Today is the day I should have died.'" The Doctor read Ashildrs diary's aloud, "'Instead, I was re-born, by my heroes, The Doctor and Star…My love is dying. It broke my heart when the questions started and I knew I had to leave him. I returned to find an old man who smiles and thinks I am a dream. I am flesh and blood, my love, but all you see is a ghost.'" He turned the page as Star wandered to the window, squinted at the single lantern outside by the bushes, "tears," he whispered, running his hand over the pages that was smeared with droplets of after, also finding a few pages missing, "'The Plague. Mass graves. Sightless children. Clutching toys as they sleep, never to wake up. My children. My screams. I could not save you, little ones. Such pain. And yet, still, still I am not brave enough to die, to let go of this wretched life. I will endure, but no more babies. I cannot, will not, suffer such heartbreak again. From now on, it's me against the world.'"

Star sighed as she wandered back over to him, "do you trust me?"

He looked up at her, "yeah…why?"

"You want to help Ashidlr…I think I know how. But need you to trust me."

He hesitated a moment. For all he knew it would end badly, but if it would, she wouldn't even bother telling him about it at all and would just do it. "Ok."

At that moment Ashildr entered again.

The Doctor cleared his throat, "I read your journals. Why are there pages missing?"

"When things get really bad, I tear the memories out." She replied tensely.

"What could be worse than losing your children?"

"I keep that entry to remind me not to have any more."

"Good." Star agreed, "in this universe, its better to be alone so you have no one to care about to survive."

The Doctor swallowed at that. Sincerely hoping that it was part of her plan, Star had always wanted a family of her own. "I've left you alone too long. I had no idea how much you'd suffered. But I remember the person you used to be. She's still in there. I can help you find her."

"Spare me your pity, I'm fine." Ashildr sneered.

The Doctor shook his head at them both, "I think this is just another mask that you wear to protect you from the pain."

"I think the alternative frightens you," Ashildr countered, "that this is who I've become."

"This is no way to live your life, de-sensitised to the world."

"So you intend to fix me? Make me feel again, then run away? I don't need your help, Doctor, you need mine. Just this once, you can't run off like you usually do."

"How do you know?" the Doctor demanded, "How do you know what I usually do? We've met once in a Viking village. I didn't give you my life story."

"Doesn't matter," she placed her pistols into her belt, leading them back the way they came, "come on."

~.~

"Housebreaks can be tricky." Ashildr whispered outside of the Fanshawe house.

"Not really, I can do this." Star disappeared before them and unlocked the door from the inside. Seriously, what idiot left the key in the doors? She leaned casually on the wall as Ashildr and the Doctor stepped past her, "impressed?"

"Not as impressed as you'll be," Ashildr grinned, holding a wanted flyer for The Knightmare, "The most wanted in the land."

"Yeah? Well, I'm feared amongst all of time and space."

"Now is not the time to be showing off." The Doctor grumbled, stalking past the girls.

"You'll need a mask, sidekick." Ashildr held up a black eye mask to the Doctor, "Watch and learn."

"Brought my own, thanks." He put the sonic sunglasses over his eyes.

Ashidlr merely shrugged and turned to Star, "partners should have matching after all."

"And black is so my colour," Star teased, putting the mask on. Yes, being a partner to the most wanted in the land would be rather good, and she wasn't half bad at what she did.

"'Tis black as night." Ashildr whispered as they quietly walls down the corridor, "I have a tinderbox somewhere." The Doctor merely used the sonic to light a candle, "Show off." She glared, "Know where you're going, do you?" she snatched the candle from him and walked ahead of him with Star, "The servant's stairs. Follow me." She led them up the stairs to the upstairs corridor.

"What happened to the second immortality chip we gave you?" Star wondered of her.

She showed it hidden in her jacket, close to her heart, "No one's good enough."

"Humans need…" the Doctor began.

"Hush!"

"Humans need shared experiences."

"I'm regretting sharing this one."

"Oh, and here I was thinking we made a perfect team," Star pouted mockingly.

"I'm regretting sharing it with him," she corrected, nodding to the Doctor.

"It isn't right for you to be on your own!" he warned her when Star clapped her hand over his mouth as a servant was bidding goodnight, closing a bedroom door. Ashidlr covered the candle to hide the light, not that were was a need as the servant was too oblivious to notice the other light from her own candle.

"I'll wager there's a dressing room. Come on!" Ashildr pushed a door open and they entered, Star shutting in behind her, on the Doctor who huffed as he followed them inside and turning on his curioscanner at the dressing table, making a loud noise.

"Doctor!" Ashidlr hissed "Doctor, turn that thing off." At this rate he'd end up getting them caught by being loud, at least Star knew how to break into a house and was quiet.

The Doctor opened a compartment with a simple box which held a large glowing purple gem in a diamond and pearl chain.

Star snatched it up before the Doctor could, breathing at it, "The Eyes of Hades. It's also my colour."

"We've got what we wanted now, lets go." Ashildr put the empty box back as Star pocketed the gem and they headed off back through the house when a door before them opened, diverting them into another room where a man was snoring loudly on the couch.

"Let's just go round and see if we can't get out the back." The Doctor whispered and the girls nodded, slowly creeping across the room behind the couch. Star mentally rolling her eyes as the floor boards creaked, of course.

The man snorted awake, "Lucie?"

They quickly ducked behind the couch as the man stood up, picking up a candle to see better, "Lucie?"

Ashidlr peeked over the couch only for Star to tug her back down as the man glanced over, frowning before leaving them room.

As they stood back up to quickly leave the Doctor, naturally, knocked over a fire iron causing a clatter.

"There is an intruder on the premises!" the man yelled, "Bring me my blunderbuss!"

At his words Star pulled out her dagger as Ashidlr whipped out her pistol.

"What are you doing?" the Doctor glared at them both.

"It's kill or be killed." Ashildr narrowed her eyes at him.

"No, we can't. We should hide."

Star casted a quick glance around the room, "chimney!" she quickly put her dagger away and ran to it as Ashildr nodded and joined them, the three of them quickly climbing up and out of view.

They heard the door open again and the man shouting, "Guard the doors! Alert the militia!"

"Your feet, you oaf." Ashildr sneered as the Doctor quickly pulled them up before they were seen and they climbed up. "Oh, I said you'd be a liability." She shot him a pointedly look, "Just let me shoot them and be done with it!"

"You're the liability." He argued, "we never have this trouble with Clara."

"Oh, is she still with you, is she?"

Star blinked, pausing her climbing as she glanced down at the girl, "800 years and you remember Clara?"

"Of course. I take particular note of anyone's weaknesses."

"She's not a weakness. I don't have a single weakness!"

"So what's wrong with Clara, then?"

"There's nothing wrong with her." the Doctor hissed.

"Why haven't you made her immortal?"

"Well, look how you turned out."

"Look how I turned out? Look, how your daughter turned out!"

"Hey!" she frowned, "just when I thought the two of us were getting along."

"She'll die on you, you know." Ashildr continued, "She'll blow away like smoke."

Star chuckled, "oh, believe me…she won't."

"How old are you, Doctor?"

"Older than you." He remarked.

"And you, Star?"

She tempted lying but…couldn't, "not even 700."

"Really? And how many have you lost? How many Clara's?"

"Multiple Clara's. Literally Clara. Not companions, just Clara herself."

Finally they made it to the roof and scrambled out, climbing down the drain pipe and walking off into the sunrise.

~.~

"Robbery, burglary, that's capital." The Doctor said as they walked through the wide road in the forest, the sun finally rising as they headed back from the night of robbery, "Meat and drink to the hangman, Ashildr."

"I'm not Ashildr." She shook her head, "I'm Me. And I fear no hangman in Christendom."

"Ah ha!"

"Sam Swift the Quick," she greeted the man as he jumped down from the tree before them, "I wouldn't be so bold if I were you. Don't you know who I am?"

"The Knightmare, which is why I'm not alone." He nodded and his two accomplices appeared behind them.

"A fair fight." She nodded.

"Unlike when you stole my patch."

"Is that a fake nose, Sam? They should call you Sam Sniffed."

"What's wrong with it? It's perfectly normal, innit?"

"For an anteater, maybe." She quipped.

"Ooo! Well, never knew you were so puny, Knightmare. Or should I say, Slightmare."

"No, not the puns." The Doctor groaned, "Line in the sand. No puns."

"It's what's in my brain that counts, Bingo Boy."

"Well, no brain outwits a bullet, Dandyprat." Sam Swift drew out his pistol.

"This is banter." The Doctor cut in, "I'm against banter. I'm on record on the subject of banter."

"Lay down your arms, hand over the loot, or I'll shoot." Sam Swift threatened.

"Dude!" Star called, "you're gun aint loaded!"

"Who are these, your sidekicks? You've got your dad and sister as your sidekicks?"

"I'm the Doctor." He introduced, "and Stars my daughter."

"Is that the best name you could come up with?" he eyed them.

"I'm the Angel of Darkness!" Star stepped closer, twirling a finger around a strand of hair, "and I'm no one's sidekick. I'm the Knightmare's partner in crime. I doubt you know, those who hear my name don't survive to repeat it."

"Ooo." Sam grinned, intrigued by the girl who is apparently so feared and also a girl. In his distraction Ashidlr quickly took his pistol in one quick move, "Oi!"

Star busied herself with admiring her nails, "that's my girl."

Sam tried to take his pistol back, resulting in the pair struggling on the ground for it as Sam's accomplice's put their pistols to both the Doctors and Star's heads.

"If you value the life of your sidekicks, back off!" Sam warned, "Put the weapon down!" he snatched the pistol and threw Ashildr off, pointing his pistol at the pair, "Who's feared now, Angel of Darkness?" only for Ashidlr to kick his feet and taking the pistol back, pointing at Sam as he laid on the ground.

"Good question," the Doctor nodded as his two accomplices were thrown against the trees with a cry, struggling to back free of an invisible hold.

"Please, Knightmare, I don't want to die." The man pleaded, his hands up in surrender, "Let's have honour amongst us."

"Also can you confirm that we're not related?" the Doctor asked.

"What do you say, partner?" Ashidlr glanced at Star, "I should kill him? He'll be dead in a minute. What difference does it make?"

"None at all." She answered softly, "just a pointless human gone from the Earth a few months earlier."

"Kill him and you make an enemy of me!" The Doctor snapped.

Ashidlr glanced at Star again for assurance but the girl didn't show any emotion. She wanted her to kill him, but she didn't want the Doctor to be her enemy. She pulled the pistol away, "run."

The man quickly scampered off, his accomplices finally falling free and running with him.

"I know their lives are short, I understand, but those lives do matter."

"Shut up! You're not my dad!" she spat at him, storming off back to her house.

"You were going to let her kill him, weren't you?" he asked her quietly as they followed.

"Oh," she smirked knowingly, "don't you worry about a thing, daddy dear. I have a perfect plan." She quickly walked off to catch up with Ashidlr, linking her arm through hers.

"How did you do that?" she asked, interested.

"Like I said, I'm feared among the universe."

~.~

"I have a theory about the amulet." The Doctor called up the stairs as the two headed back down to him waiting in the hall.

"Morning, sir." An old man cleared his throat from down the hall, "Forgive me, but might I enquire into who you are?"

"The Doctor."

"Clayton, sir. Would you care for a cocktail, milady?" the man asked as Ashildr and Star walked down, both in period dresses.

"Oh, yes, please." Ashidlr nodded, in a red dress with short puffy sleeve, "Star, would you like one?"

"Oh, how could a girl say no?" she laughed.

The servant, Clayton, nodded and walked off, coughing.

"Half blind and deaf as a post." Ashidlr watched him head off, "He is no use any more really, but…"

"You keep him on." The Doctor finished for her, "See, you do have a heart. You don't fool me."

"How do I look?" Star spun in a circle. She had chosen a dress with slight off shoulder sleeves that were tight fitting reaching the elbow with ruffles at the end. The dark purple overcoat was corseted and the over skirt was pinned back slightly with the black petticoat on show, decorated with small silver stars. Her hair tightly curled.

"It's good to see you back in purple," he nodded, "Look, why would an alien artefact resemble the Eyes of Hades, King of the Underworld?" Ashildr took the jewel from the Doctor heading to the dining room and pacing it into her drawstring bag, "An ancient Greek talisman which wards off evil and protects those in death on their journey to an afterlife?"

"You tell me." She replied.

"Could it be that the mythology originated on another planet?"

"You can't wait to get going and find out, I'll wager."

"No. I think we should stick around, and keep an eye on you for a while."

"Get me back on track?" she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well, why not? Hey, we're a good team."

"No, we're a good team," Star corrected, gesturing between her and Ashildr, "you just stand still and end up nearly getting killed."

"Take me with you." Ashidlr pleaded.

"You don't want to get stuck with us." He waved her off, turning his back on Star as looked at him with her 'puppy dog' eyes, "the amount of arguments. Besides, you have this whole wonderful planet to play on."

"It takes a day to get to Kent." She glared.

"In the future, you'll fly."

"I want to fly right now. I have waited longer than I should ever have lived. I have lost more than I can even remember. Please, Doctor, just get me out of this. I want more than this. I deserve more than this. Why not? Why not?"

"Because it wouldn't be good. Ashildr, please. Ashildr."

"I am not Ashildr anymore!"

"You never said you had a cat," Star remarked calmly as she heard a snarl from the door, cutting into the argument that was brewing in the house, "you should have told me. I love cats. Hello, big guy!" she grinned as she opened the door to reveal a large lion-like man with glowing yellow eyes.

"Leandro, meet Star and the Doctor." Ashildr introduced, "You thought I was helping you. In fact, it was the other way round. Leandro, we have it. My friends here was as useful as I'd hoped."

"If somebody needed my help, why did nobody just ask? I am forced to assume you have plans I wouldn't approve of." He sighed, "Oh, Ashildr."

"Stop calling me that."

"Kill me!" he ordered Leandro as Star stepped away from him.

"Why?" he asked.

"If you intend any harm to this planet or its people, then killing me is by far your best move."

"You invite your own death?"

"No. I just want you to attack first. Then my conscience is clear."

"Of what?"

"You." He stated.

Leandro merely laughed, "You are not of this world, or part of my plans. I have no quarrel with you."

"Then let me help." Star remarked.

"Then tell me why you are here and what you intend to do." The Doctor demanded, "Otherwise, get on with trying to kill me. But I advise you. Be very quick and very sure."

"I am from Delta Leonis. My tribe was overthrown, my world destroyed, my wife killed as we escaped."

"And the amulet was how you travelled," Star followed.

"I lost it when I crashed to Earth."

"I found him in my grounds." Ashildr explained, "He's been sleeping there while I searched for it."

"The Underworld, gateway to an afterlife, another reality."

"We need it to open a portal, travel the galaxy."

"Oh! Oh, so what's the plan, Ashildr? Fancy yourself as his new Queen? Hunting, running errands while he sleeps."

"Oh, dear God." She cried in disgust, "You're just like every other man. I'm not looking for a husband, you oaf. I'm looking for a horse to get me out of town. You said no."

"I can have a companion, too." Star argued, "I want you. I need you. I can help, I'm willing to help. To get of this planet and see the universe, then never return home." That's what she was about. When she was so much younger, before her life turned to flames, the plan had been that after she graduated she and the Doctor were going to travel the universe and see the wonders. She said she'd return home for a family, she said she always wanted her own family. She was an excellent liar even as a child. She never wanted a family, she never will. She was never planning on returning home. And she never will. She was so much better than the average Time Lord, the planet was so boring with their life spans to just sit and do nothing when there was so much to explore.

Ashidlr was silent.

The Doctor scoffed, "And you think you can trust him?" he nodded to Leandro.

"He knows what it is to be alone." Ashildr shrugged.

"So do I."

"Then how could you do what you did?"

"I'm looking for the headline here."

"The what?"

"Well, you know, you want to escape? Well, go on. Escape as much as you like. Why would I not approve?"

"The amulet requires a death to work," Star stated, "honestly, what do you do at night?" she read of course, she had read every single book in the library and there was a lot, more than a lot.

"Of course." he nodded slowly, "Every single death is a tiny fracture in reality, and the amulet can lever the fracture open. Primitive, but effective."

"It's just exploiting an abundant resource." Ashildr remarked, "There's so much dying here."

"So who dies so you can run away?"

She turned and called over her shoulder, "Clayton?"

"Coming, milady." He responded.

"No, you can't." he cried, "He loves you."

"To the end, it would seem."

"Would you rather take his place?" Leandro asked, breathing fire at them.

"No! We agreed!" Ashildr yelled, as he aimed for the Time Lords, who dodged the fire.

"Oh, Ashildr, daughter of Einarr, what happened to you?" the Doctor could only shake his head at her.

"You did, Doctor. You happened."

"He ruined my life too," Star slowly made her way behind the girl, whispering hypnotically in her ear, "took everything from me. Destroyed everything I knew and loved. And I had to forgive him, because there was no one else and I was so young, but now…I'm older, I'm stronger, I'm better. Let me help you, and you won't regret it."

~.~

"I know you've suffered." The Doctor called as Ashidlr tied him to a chair in a cupboard, "Your children dying."

"They would have died anyway." She turned her back on him, "Human life is fleeting. People are mayflies, breeding and dying, repeating the same mistakes. It's boring. And I'm stuck here, abandoned by the one man who should know what eternity feels like. You should understand."

"I do, now, but…"

"You still won't take me with you. You gad about while I trudge through the centuries, day by day, hour by hour. Do you ever think or care what happens after you've flown away? I live in the world you leave behind, because you abandoned me to it."

"Why should I be responsible for you?" he was already responsible for Star and that was hard work as it was.

"You're the one who made her immortal." Star shrugged from the side, having been watching Ashildr tie her old man up.

"I saved her life!" he argued, "you agreed with me! I didn't know that your heart would rust because I kept it beating. I didn't think your conscience would need renewing, that the well of human kindness would run dry. I just wanted to save a terrified young woman's life."

"You didn't save my life, Doctor." Ashildr sneered at him, "You trapped me inside it. And now I've found someone who can set me free. Someone who understands."

"Look, I don't know what Lenny the Lion is up to, but I know his type. Very first argument, guaranteed he'll bite your head off."

"Or I'll bite his off. Perhaps I'll enjoy that."

"You're playing with fire. Open that portal and you have no idea what horrors might come through."

"That's as good a reason as any to do it."

"You're not like this. I know you're not." He struggled against his bonds

"This is exactly what I'm like. This is what you made of me."

"He'll kill you."

"He'll have to go through me first," Star called.

"And if he does, perhaps it's about time." Ashildr deadpanned, turning as there was a knock on the door, a male voice calling.

"Lady Me?" two Pikemen ran into the room, both carrying their weapons, "Oh, Lady Me, thank goodness you are safe. Sam Swift has been captured and he swore the Knightmare was heading in this direction."

"I've not seen him." She informed them.

"Sam Swift will hang in Tyburn at noon."

"That's half an hours' time," Star commented, mocking formality.

Ashildr glanced back at the tied up Doctor, "A guilty man destined to die? No harm in that. I have not seen the Knightmare. But this is his sidekick, the Doctor. He was robbing me. If my friend had not arrived, I may not have managed to overpower him."

"Lady Star," she introduced, "this man…is known to be dangerous. He's in line with another…the Angel of Darkness. Be careful approaching them."

One man pulled over a wanted poster for The Doctor and another for The Angel of Darkness much to Star amusement at how quickly they were created. "You will hang for this!"

"No, listen, I was trying to help her." the Doctor yelled, "Star!"

"Silence or we'll…" the other man fired his pistol at the ceiling, "…Shoot."

"He needn't hang." Ashildr shook her head, "But keep him under lock and key, for all our sakes."

"Was that the door?" Clayton entered the room and one man turning his pistol on him, when the old man spotted the Doctor tied up, "Oh, dear. Always the quiet ones."

"Goodbye, Clayton." Ashildr nodded to the man, glancing back at the Doctor, "You see? I do have a heart."

"In which case, don't do it." He begged. "Star, don't, please…"

She chuckled darkly, "it seemed we were wrong…" he looked at her in confusion, "Stars do burn cold." And with that she turned and followed Ashildr to the coach, leaving the two Pike men to guard the Doctor.

"I hope I can trust you Star," Ashildr remarked as they hoped on the carriage, taking the reins of the horses as Leandro sat inside out of view.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm hoping for a death."

She didn't care whose death.

~.~

Star hopped off the carriage in the village where a crowd had gathered to see Sam Swift be hanged. The man joking to the crowd, laughing for the last time.

"All right, calm down. Steady on. Such a good turn out. I'm honoured. Yeah I, er, he's new at this. Someone will have to show him the ropes." The crowd laughed at him, as he insulted his executer "Don't worry mate, you'll get the hang of it. When I'm gone, they'll all say, that Sam Swift, he was well hung. Well, I think a few of you know that already. Oh, yeah, I'm sure I recognise a few of you lovely ladies. You," he pointed to an elderly red head who shook her head, "And you. I mean I'd introduce you all, but I can't remember your names. Hey, it's a good job you're here, or they'd kill me."

The crowd stared to yell from him to be hung as the bell tolled for the hour.

"Mary? Meg? Help me out here, miss."

"That's Mrs Baxter to you!" the man next to the woman Sam Swift was looking at, glared.

"That's a funny name for a fella!"

"The clock is striking twelve," Star recited.

"It's time." Leandro stated. "Hang him now!"

"Hang him!" the crowd cheered "Hang him!"

"Make us laugh, Sam!" a man yelled.

The man drunk from his bottle as Ashidlr and Star made their way to the stage of the hanging, "Aye. For while you laugh, I live. It was raining on the way over here. But the hangman says to me, it's all right for you. I've got to walk back through this." He glanced to the side to see Ashidlr paying the executer, "What are you paying for, my beauty?"

"To make it quick." She smiled softly, "A fitting end for you, Sam Swift."

"Who should be the last to kiss these lips?"

All the woman cried for him to kiss them as Sam merely laughed, "They must mean you, Lady Me." Ashildr smiled as she gave the man a deserved kiss, "You remind me of someone. And now I want to live more than ever. All right, all right." He sighed as the crowd got even more restless for a hanging, "As God is my Highwayman. He steals the most precious gift of all. Life. Magical, filled with adventures. And at least I can say I lived mine to the full. Is that the Doctor?" he squinted into the crowd as Star followed his gaze to see the man at the back of the crowd, standing stupidly besides his wanted poster. Idiot. "Doctor, doctor! I'm a robber."

"Have you taken anything for it?" he asked.

"Er, Doctor, doctor."

"Quick man, I'm running out of patients!"

"Have you ever seen such a sidekick so old?"

He frowned as he made his way closer, "I'm no one's sidekick."

"He's so old, he farts dust!"

"And his nose is so big that…"

"They'll have to widen the noose!"

"Or, or bury him in a pyramid."

"You know what they say, big nose…"

"Big handkerchief!"

The crowd laughed at the jokes as the Ashidlr paid more to the executioner who shoved the man back.

"No! Doctor, don't leave me hanging." He shouted for help.

"Don't you dare!" Star sneered seeing the Doctor pull out his physic paper.

"Wait!" he held it up to the executioner, "I have a pardon here for Sam Swift from Cromwell himself."

"Sam Swift is pardoned!" the executioner yelled to the crowd who shouted in displeasure, wanting a hanging.

"We didn't come all this way not to see someone hang." A man cried, "What about the Doctor? Yeah, hang the Doctor. Hang the Doctor! Hang the Doctor. Hang the Doctor!"

"You want to see someone die?" Ashidlr asked the crowd, "How's this?" she held up the Eye of Hades and ignoring the Doctors shouting, slapped it on Sams chest, sending out a purple ray into the sky, opening a rift.

"Purple, the colour of death." Star laughed, it was why she loved the colour, "His life force is opening a portal."

"To my new life."

"Or to Hell." The Doctor argued.

"Which is where we're from." Star spoke.

Leandro breathed his fiery breath into the crowd making them run in fear as a planet appear beyond the rift.

"Goodbye, Doctor." Ashildr smiled.

"You are going nowhere." Leandro growled.

"Doors work both ways." The Doctor breathed, "They let people out and they let the enemy in."

"What's that?" Ashidlr gasped as small objects were visible surrounding the planet, "What's happening? What are those things?"

"That, little one," Star wrapped her arms behind the girl, completely calm, "are spaceships that will come through the rift and destroy everything here."

"You said you were the last of the Leonians." Ashidlr glared at Leandro, "We were meant to escape."

"You shall. In death." He roared above the screaming crowd as fireballs flew through the rift and exploded on the grounded.

"No! Star, what have I done?" she cried in fear as the humans scattered for their lifes, "What have I done to these people? Stop this! They are defenceless." She made to attack Leandro but Star held her back.

"Me, he doesn't care," she told her, "just like you."

"But I do. Oh, God, I do. I actually do. I, I care."

"It's awful, isn't it?" the Doctor couldn't help but grin seeing the old Ashildr back, "It's infuriating. You think you don't care, then you fall off the wagon."

"Never mind about me. What are we going to do about them? We have to help them. They need you. They need us."

"Welcome back." Star smiled.

"Well? Do something then!"

"Star?" the Doctor spun to her, "you had a plan, this had better be part of it."

"Of course, only go bad if you know what you're doing."

"Well?" Ashidlr demanded.

"We need to close the gateway."

"But how?"

"Sam Swift's death is opening the portal."

"We need to reverse it."

"You cannot reverse death." Leandro hissed.

"Oh, yes, we can." Ashidlr smirked, holing up her second repair chip.

"Bad kitty!" Star threw a random bucket of water over him making him growl at them but was unable to breath fire, giving Ashildr a chance to run to Sam, placing the chip into his forehead, as Sam's death stopped, the ray changed from purple to gold.

"The light of immortality. Spare me, my brothers!" it was no use Leandro was disintegrated and the rift closed, leaving the town in silence.

"I'm alive." Sam laughed, "I'm alive!"

~.~

"Last thing I remember is you turning up, Doctor." Sam explained as the four of them sat at the table in the local pub 'Ye Swan with Two Necks' "Good thing too. Between you and me, I was running out of material."

"Yeah, I could tell." He muttered, "Gave a whole new meaning to dying on stage."

"Gallows humour can be tricky, but at least there's never a second house. We've nearly finished these. I'll get some more in. Oh, by the way," he glanced at Ashildr as he stood up, "I've not forgotten that kiss." He grinned and headed off.

"Is he immortal now?" Ashildr sighed once he was out of ear shot.

"Do you want him to be?" Star asked.

"I don't think I want anyone to be."

"Well, probably not." The Doctor shrugged, frowning, "Probably the power would have been drained by the whole opening and reversing the portal thingy. There'll be enough power to bring him back, but not enough power to keep him here, probably."

She blinked, "Did you just make all of that up?"

"Yeah. But it's hard to keep track of all this stuff. Keep an eye on him though. He might be around for a while. Or not. Who can say?"

"You're still not going to take me with you, are you?" She looked at Star at that, she had been the one who said she would.

"No. honestly," she sighed, "I'm happy alone."

"No, you're not."

"We have Clara. That's all we need. Maybe in the future, though."

"People like us, we go on too long." The Doctor explained, "We forget what matters. The last thing we need is each other. We need the mayflies. See, the mayflies, they know more than we do. They know how beautiful and precious life is because it's fleeting. Look how Sam Swift made every last moment count, right to the gallows. Look how glad he is to be alive." They turned to see him laughing with others, for the moment, forgetting the drinks at his happiness to be able to laugh, the chance to life longer than he had been earlier, "I looked into your eyes and I saw my worst fears. Weariness. Emptiness."

And worse of all. He saw Star. Of what she had become…because of him. It was his fault Star was who she was, and it was his fault that Ashildr would live forever. Forever be the Woman who Lived.

"That's why you can't travel with me." She nodded, no longer mad, but understanding, "Our perspectives are too vast. Too far away."

"You're not the first, you know. I did travel with another immortal once. Captain Jack Harkness."

"Who?" even Star forgot the man.

"He'll get round to you eventually. Who told you about me? The man who comes for the battle and runs away from the fallout."

"Take your pick. You've had an impact on this world. You've made waves."

"You might even say tidal waves," Star grinned.

"I'm flattered."

"Well, you should be." The Doctor agreed, "You're an extraordinary woman, Ashildr. But I think I'm going to have to keep an eye on you."

"No."

"No?"

"Someone has to look out for the people you abandon. Who better than me? I'll be the patron saint of the Doctor's leftovers. While you're busy protecting this world, I'll get busy protecting it from you."

"So are we enemies now?"

"Of course not. Enemies are never a problem. It's your friends you have to watch out for. And, my friend, I'll be watching out for you."

"Ashildr, I think I'm very glad I saved you."

"Oh," she smirked across at them, "I think everyone will be."

~.~

Star stood by the console once they had left. Sam had gotten carried away with his happiness and had gotten a bit drunk, which resulted in them having the chance to leave without questions, with Ashildr watching over him. They had a quick trip back to Ashildr place for Star to get changed and give the dress back despite Ashildr insisting that Star could keep it and had gone back to the TARDIS, parked just outside Coal Hill School and waited for Clara.

"Are you mad at me?" Star called to the Doctor, as she brushed through her still curly hair, looking at the man as he stood on the stairs, playing on his guitar.

"What?" he paused and looked at her, "why would I be?"

"Because I didn't tell you what I was doing. I knew Ashidlr still cared about those people and once she knew she'd put them in danger she'd see it, but I didn't tell you. I…I betrayed you…"

"Nova, "do you think I care for you so little that betraying me would make a difference?"

She nodded, "teach me."

"What?" he blinked.

"How to play." She nodded to his guitar, "come on, old man. Teach the little goth how to play."

He grinned at her.

~.~

"No!" Clara stopped dead as she ran in seeing Star with the Doctors guitar, the man behind her, guiding her hands over the strings, "I will not have both of you playing stupidly loud on that guitar!" it was bad enough that half the time she was woken up by the Doctor playing but with Star now playing, she'd do it on purpose.

"Hello to you too," Star deadpanned as she stopped playing, handing the guitar back.

"Did you miss me?"

"First tell me who you are."

"Ha ha," she rolled her eyes as Star grinned, "I got a present for you."

"I didn't do anything! It wasn't me!"

"Not you. You!" she nodded to the Doctor.

"Why? Am I ill?" he frowned at her.

"No."

"Is Star ill?"

"No."

"Are you ill?"

"No."

"Are you never going to travel with me again, because I said a thing?"

"It's not a good present."

"Oh, well that's a relief." The Doctor nodded.

"Ok, Evie Hubbard? Year 7, you helped her out with her homework? Imaginary interview with Winston Churchill. You basically cheated." She had found out, by the detail of the girls homework and the fact that the Doctor did actually admit it, that he had taken her to actually go and see the man himself and ask the questions face to face.

"That was her fault because she should have stressed imaginary."

"Anyway, she got an A and so she has sent you a selfie." She held up her phone, showing the photo of Clara and the girl.

"Yes, you're right." He looked away, "That is not a good present. Do they make sherbet lemons anymore? And I'd like a Ferrari. What about a Ferrari?"

"Hmm. I knew you'd be thrilled."

"Ok, come on, let me see, let me see. Let me see, let me see." He nodded as he looked at the photo. The young girl grinning as she held up her brilliant homework. "yes, good, very good."

"Gimme!" Star snatched the phone, to see herself when something in the back ground caught her eye. She zoomed in and behind the gates of carpark was Ashildr in 21st century clothes, smirking at her, obviously knowing she was in the photo.

"What's wrong?" Clara frowned, sensing something...off with Star.

"Nothing," she tossed the phone back, "just your face looks even wider on your phone."

"Tell her next time I'll take cash," the Doctor remarked.

"So, where are you going to take me?" Clara bounded up to the console.

"Wherever you want." He answered, ready to input whatever coordinates they wanted.

"Hmm. Somewhere, somewhere magical. Somewhere new."

"Ah, there is nowhere new under the sun. Above it, on the other hand." He grinned, setting the coordinates, tensing slightly as Clara wrapped them both into a hug from behind before he relaxed "I've missed you, Clara Oswald."

"Don't ever leave us." Star added. Thinking about what Ashildr had said.

 _She'll die on you. Blow away like smoke._

Not Clara. No matter what happened.

"Well, don't worry, you evil little child." She giggled, "I'm not going anywhere. You know im not." She grinned as she pulled the lever down, sending them off to another adventure.


	7. The Zygon invasion

Star hung down from the top bar on the swing set at a local park in London on the mobile phone Clara insisted they got for emergencies like this. They had been in the TARDIS where she had finally been able to play the guitar by herself. It was brilliant! She no longer needed the Doctor to guide her hands, she could do it herself. But they had gotten a message 'Nightmare Scenario'. They knew what it meant, the peace between humans and Zygons was broken; both species were in danger.

The Doctor was on the swing besides her, watching the small group of school children, mostly at the two blonde twin girls.

"Can I call her now?" Star asked the Doctor, blinking as she appeared upside down before him, last he knew she had been on the swing next to him. The little monkey.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"Great!" she grinned, pushing herself to sit upright on the pole as she rang Clara's number, the phone going straight to voicemail.

"Hi! This is Clara Oswald," the voicemail responded, "I'm probably on the Tube or in outer space. Leave a message!"

"It's me, Star, if you haven't figured it out by my voice yet, also with," she dropped back to the Doctor again, "what's ya codename again?"

"Doctor Disco," he answered, grinning. Best code name ever in his mind.

"Yeah," she put the phone back to her ear, "with…Doctor Disco. Anyway, we're on Earth in this, local kiddies playground. Trying to be undercover, though dads not very good at it."

"Oi!"

She grinned, "Nightmare scenario…blah, blah, blah. Call us back, Oswald." She hung up as the two girls stopped and stared at them before continuing on and playing on the monkey bars.

The Doctor got up and followed them, "Ok. Hey, Monster High and Cinderella. Down off the monkey bars. Listen to me. We've got to talk. Look, I admire you, ok? I think you're ingenious. Pretending to be a couple of 7 year olds is a splendid way to conceal your blobbiness. But let's not pretend. You're very blobby. In fact, you two are the big blobs. And you are not patrolling the ceasefire." The girls were silent as they climbed down while the Doctor took the slide, "Fine. Fine, bury your heads. Listen to me. Listen! There are other factions. I know that there are other blobby factions that you don't control. They're planning something. And if we don't get together and stop it, it'll be the end of this. Of all of you."

"This is our jurisdiction, Doctor." The taller girl answered, "These are our creatures. We are close to finding them."

"They are our children, and we will deal with them." The other added.

"Your kids are out of control. I'm taking this out of your hands." The Doctor glanced back to the swings were Star still sat, the phone ringing again, he pointed warningly at the girls, "Don't even think about going anywhere." Before making his way back to Star.

"I swear if this is a pocket dial again…" Star was warning Kate as she answered.

"I'm really sending you a distress signal." The woman insisted down the line, "They've kidnapped Osgood and they've stolen the location of every Zygon on Earth. The ceasefire's broken down."

"Hey! Away! Away!" the Doctor suddenly yelled as a red gas was thrown onto the grass, hissing, "Get those kids out of the way! Out of the way! Out of the way! Out of the way! Move! Out of the way!"

The school children and the teachers' ran off but two Zygons stepped through the foggy gas and carried the screaming twins away to a Maintenance van, skidding off down the road.

"We'll met you at the safe house," Star hung up the phone and quickly flipped back down onto the ground, quickly running into the TARDIS after the Doctor as he was quickly to pilot them off.

She tried Clara's phone again.

~.~

Star swallowed as she, the Doctor, Kate and another UNIT woman, Jac stood before a computer that was reporting a video of the kidnapped Osgood chained at a desk flanked with two Zygons, they could see she was being forced to read what she was saying, "UNIT troops will be destroyed wherever they are in the world. The enemies of our race will be destroyed wherever they are in the world. The war is about to begin. There will be truth or there will be consequences."

"Hi, this is Clara Oswald. I'm probably on the Tube or in outer space. Leave a message!"

"Answer your phone, Clara Oswald!" Star snapped into her phone. 149 times she had rung and not once had the woman answered, even threatening to throw her into a black hole if she didn't pick up. It didn't work.

"Is he really calling himself Doctor Disco?" Clara asked as she finally picked up a few minutes later.

"149 times I rang you."

"I know I can see the messages."

"Next time pick up the first time!"

"I was busying!" she defended.

Star scoffed, "what's more busy that picking up the phone?" Honestly, she complained when they never picked up, that was why she made them got a phone, giving it to Star knowing it would be her who was more likely to us it. The girl really loved sending her random snapchats with it. "Never mind that, just get her as soon as you can."

"And here is?"

"UNIT safe house."

"Alright, I'm on my way."

"Finally." She grumbled, hanging up, before frowning, something just felt so…wrong. And not the good kind, the wrongness that even she didn't like.

"This is where the Zygon High Command had their secret base." Kate remarked as the group got out of the car as it pulled up to Drakeman Junior School in Dulwich.

"A junior school?" Clara raised an eyebrow as they followed Kate inside the empty corridors where along one wall was a collage of photographs, including the two girls.

"Terms of the settlement, Operation Double, were these. 20 million Zygons, the entire hatchery, were allowed to be born and to stay on Earth. They were permitted to permanently take up the form of the nearest available human beings."

"In this case, a large percentage of the population of the UK." Jac offered as they headed down to the boiler room under the school.

"You left us with an impossible situation." Kate glanced back at the Time Lords.

"Yes, we know." The Doctor rolled his eyes, "It's called peace. What about the two little girl commanders? Weren't they helping you?"

"They've been almost impossible to deal with since Osgood left. Secretive, uncommunicative. We've known there's something going on. Some radicalisation, some revolution in the younger brood. They said they had it under control."

"Normally when they said 'everything's under control' it's actually…not." Star called as they stepped through a hole in the wall into the dark room on the Zygon command centre, the room mostly empty apart from the large red polyp in the centre of the room.

"The Zygon command centre." The Doctor said, "That's the control polyp for all Zygons on Earth."

"It's horrible." Jac grimaced.

"Could you?" the Doctor handed Clara his torch, "Would you mind? Thank you. Star?" he glanced at her.

"Er, you have more experience than me," she stepped back, allowing him to splash liquid from the pool in the centre of the poly onto its fronds where he began to caress some horns.

"If this has been compromised, the Zygons are wide open." The Doctor explained to them, "They'll be starting to panic. Starting to worry."

"Doctor, do you want to be alone with that thing?" Clara smirked.

"It's a command computer. You operate it by titivating the fronds."

"Are you enjoying that?"

"You do remember than he DID snog a Zygon before, right?" Star turned to her.

"That was ONE time!" He huffed, as a screen switched itself on, "Still got the old magic."

"So, Osgood's been kidnapped, right?" Clara frowned, "I thought Osgood was dead." She looked at Star, "you saw her die before you did as well."

"What did happen in the cargo hold?" Katie pressed.

"First: only one Osgood died. Second:" she spun and pointed a Kate, "none of your business!"

"There've always been two of her," Kate continued, unconcerned of the last of information, it was only wanted it for the files on previous reasons of regenerations, it was never of her concern of what Star got up to that caused her to get injured so badly that she died, she just knew that the Mistress had something to do with it, "ever since the ceasefire. We never knew which one was real."

"Both of them."

"Ok, which one was a Zygon."

"Still both."

"They would have maintained a live link." The Doctor added, "They were both Zygon and human at the same time. They not only administered the peace, they were the peace."

"Yeah, what he said."

"When the other Osgood died, the survivor went pretty much mad with grief." Jac informed them, "Then she just disappeared. Went undercover in the States. Now, of course, the rebels have her."

"Ah ha!" the Doctor cheered, "Ok. Zygons hatched and dispersed all over, but something's gone wrong. Mexico border, North Asia, West Africa, Australia. Panic. Paranoia. What would happen if they knew who we were?"

"We've received another video." Jac announced and they all gathered around her tablet.

"That's the Zygon High Command." Kate gasped, seeing the two young girls on the screen, "its Jemima and Claudette."

"We have been betrayed." A Zygon off screen spoke, "We were sold. Our rights were violated. We demand the right to be ourselves. Normalise. Normalise!" the two girls transformed back into their normal red selves before they were zapped to dust by two other Zygons, "We are now the Zygon High Command. All traitors will die. Truth or consequences." The message cut off.

"So, we have a Zygon revolution on our hands." The Doctor muttered, "We need to open negotiations."

"I'm not negotiating with them." Kate shook her head, "As far as they're concerned, everyone's a traitor."

"If you're not going to negotiate, what are you going to do?" Clara wondered.

"They're holed up in this settlement in Turmezistan. It's where they've taken Osgood. I'm going to order Colonel Walsh to bomb it."

"Isn't there a solution that doesn't involve bombing everyone?" the Doctor sighed.

"Stab them!" Star grinned.

"No! No stabbing Zygons or humans or…me."

She pouted, more upset that she couldn't stab him more than the other options.

"The treaty's been comprehensively violated, Doctor." Kate glared at him.

"This is a splinter group." He argued, "The rest of the Zygons, the vast majority, they want to live in peace. You start bombing them, you'll radicalise the lot. That's exactly what the splinter group wants."

"Truth or consequences. What exactly does that mean?" Jac frowned.

"It's just the usual kind of nonsense these idiots call themselves."

"It's in New Mexico." Clara called. "It's a town in New Mexico. Truth or Consequences. Er, they renamed it after a TV show, for a bet or something. It's a Trivial Pursuit question. I used to memorise Trivial Pursuit questions so I could win." She was definitely not a control freak for that.

"That's the last place we received signal from Osgood's phone, isn't it? New Mexico."

"Ok." The Doctor nodded, "Kate Stewart, no bombs for you. Go to Truth Or Consequences. See what you can find out. The Doctor will go to Turmezistan. Negotiate peace, rescue Osgood, and prevent this war, cos that's what he does. Clara, Jac, you stay here. This is your country. Protect it from the scary monsters. And also from the Zygons. And…"

Star cleared her throat at being forgotten.

"Let me finish." He shot her a look, "and Star, go with whoever you want."

She hummed in thought, "I'm gonna stay with Clara."

"I'm starting to think Clara's more your companion then mine."

"If you get another one then I'll take the downgrade to Star's official companion." Clara laughed.

"Downgrade?" Star frowned, "I'll have you know I'm an upgrade. One of the best." She winked.

The Doctor just shook his head at the pair as he turned back to Kate, "Oh, and do you still have the presidential aircraft?"

"You hate being President of the world."

"I know but I like poncing about in a big plane."

"I like planes."

"You're not going on a plane again for a long time." Not after last time when he let her out of his sight and he'd ended up dying and regenerating. He didn't think he would ever forgive himself for that. Star wasn't letting him blame Missy for it, so he had to blame himself, because he hadn't paid attention to her, and him ignoring her had gotten her killed.

Star handed the Doctor her phone as he headed up to the plane for him, "just in case."

"Keep in contact," he nodded before posing at the top of the steps and heading inside.

"How many troops do you have?" Clara asked Kate as the two and Star walked away from the plane for it to take off.

"Not many." Kate sighed, "Usually on bigger cases we can draft in from the regular army. We can't do that now. The secrecy of the project has to be maintained."

"You got any snazzy weapons?"

"There was an attempted Zygon invasion before, in the seventies, eighties. One of our staff was a naval surgeon. Worked at Porton Down on the captured Zygons. Developed Zee-67. It's a nerve gas. Unravels their DNA. Basically turns them inside out."

"Where do you keep it?"

"We don't. It was taken. The formula, the lot."

"By who?" Star tilted her head.

"Somebody with a TARDIS."

"That narrows it down." In the seventies she knew at least three Time Lords with their own TARDIS's around.

"The Doctor."

"Oh." She had kind of expected it to be Missy. The things she could do with that.

"They're ready for you, ma'ams." Jac walked off to them.

"Keep in touch." Kate nodded before walking away.

"You wish!" Star shouted after her but the woman ignored her.

"I just need to swing by home and grab a couple of things." Clara smiled.

"Why?"

"Shut up and stop asking personal questions and I'll give you coffee and maybe a cinnamon roll."

"2 cinnamon rolls?"

"If you behave."

Star grinned, she LOVED cinnamons rolls, well anything with cinnamon actually. She was obsessed with the stuff. She could live of cinnamon and coffee.

They didn't give Jac a choice as they headed off, taking a car back to the block of flats.

~.~

Star grinned as she took a bite of her cinnamon roll, the woman only had one left but it was fine. At least she had one. And she got her coffee, though she didn't have a clue as to why Clara needed to go back home, they woman had gone to her bathroom and came back a few minutes later. Obviously needed to sort out her make up.

"Quick, before someone sees us." They fell silent as they headed down the stairs only to see a man and woman drag a large bag into the lift, hearing a child screaming from inside. Zygons taking a human, had to be.

"It's really slow." Clara whispered, "We can catch them. Come on!" she grabbed Star hand and tugged her off.

"Hey!" she cried, "you made me almost drop my cinnamon roll."

"Come on!" she rolled her eyes as they made it to the ground floor, and stood waiting for the lift to arrive, creaking and groaning. "It's slower than usual."

"Must mean trouble." Star shared a matching smirk with Clara. Poor Jac had no idea what she had gotten herself into.

"What's wrong with it?" the woman frowned when the lift doors opened, showing it was empty, "Is there a cellar, or somewhere else they could have gone?"

"We would have heard them," Star reasoned, entering the now empty lift.

"Ugh, what is that?" Jac grimaced seeing the control panel loose. Clara opened it to reveal the Zygon styled controls hidden, "No, don't." she tried when the woman went to touch it.

"How did you get this job exactly?" Star asked the woman. Honestly, she got freaked out by the slightest thing that was alien.

"It's fine," Clara waved her off and touched the controls, making the lights turn off, and the small space shake violently and it quickly dropped, like the wires had been cut.

"Alright?" Star glanced at Clara as the shaking stopped.

"Think so." She nodded.

"Yeah, fine," Jac nodded.

Star casted her a single glanced before rolling her eyes and stepping out into the now dark tunnel where the two adults, likely Zygons carried the screaming child away and out of sight.

Clara pulled out her phone, using the light to look around, "I think we need reinforcements." They quickly and quietly made their way back to the lift, "Star," she hissed, seeing the girl was creeping closer and would likely get spotted.

"I'll meet you back at the safe house," she whispered, looking back as she kept to the shadows of the tunnel, following the sounds of the child.

"Miss Oswald?"

Clara watched Star until she was out of sight and followed Jac back, leaving Star alone with the Zygons.

She gasped as she found the space full of Zygon pods, most already full of humans from the copies of the humans the Zygons had taken the form off. She looked back hearing a snarling only to find a Zygon glaring at her.

"Hello." She smiled at it.

~.~

"You took a while," Clara remarked as Star joined them back at the safe house.

"I was…browsing." She defended. "Met a couple of Zygons."

"And, what did you find?"

"Oh, we might need more than we thought." She smirked knowingly at Clara who nodded, nodding to the large group of officers that were getting their weapons loaded.

"I've been looking into this." Jac said, gesturing to her reports on the computer screen, "There have been reports all over London of strange activity in lifts. I've patched into CCTV from Scotland Yard. All the elevators I can find. Now, this is SOAS. People dragging bundles. They go down, down, down, down, down, down. A few minutes go by, and then," they watched a the screen showing a lift flickered before going black for barely a second before showing a now empty lift, "all gone. There is something very wrong happening underneath London."

"Which is why we stayed behind to stop it." Star reasoned, "come on you lot!" she called to the officer, "let go kill the enemy." She and Clara walked off ahead.

~.~

"It's an odd world nowadays, isn't it?" Jac spoke as the large group came back out into the dark tunnel. She just needed to make conversation, Star and Clara had been too quite on the way back.

"It's always been an odd world." Clara shrugged.

"Nearly 700 years and you know what I've learnt?" Star looked at her.

"What?" Jac frowned.

"Nothing makes sense."

"Mmm. I mean, doesn't it feel, sometimes, that things are coming to an end? Everything's just going nuts."

"You're middle-aged, that's what it is." Clara laughed, "No offence. Everybody middle-aged always thinks the world's about to come to an end. Hmm. Never does. It's here. Oh, my God." She gasped as they came to the same space Star had earlier, filling with the pods of original copies.

"Oh, my God. These are Zygon pods."

"I think you might be right." Clara swallowed.

"About what?"

"The end of the world. Star?" she glanced at the girl as she wondered behind a pod, kicking a stray body away, not wanting that to be found.

"Right!" she clapped as the officers all gathered around, weapons at the ready, "so, Clara will take over because I don't want to talk to you pathetic little humans like yourselves."

Clara shot them apologetic looks as she took over, "It looks like whole buildings full of people have been pinched. In fact, it looks like a whole London full of people have been pinched. But we've got here early, they're still growing. We've have to neutralise these before they hatch. Take your positions. Do you know what? I'm enjoying this."

Star laughed as the soldiers readied to fire, "you should. Once you kill you're first, you never go back."

"Star…" Jac cut in. "We don't know that's what these are."

She chuckled darkly at them, giving the woman a death glare, "do you really underestimate me so much that you think I don't know what we're dealing with?"

"These are eggs, or pods, or whatever." Clara agreed, "Look." She pulled away the membrane from a pod window, gasping at the small brunette inside, "Oh, my God, that's me."

"I think we should wait." Jac swallowed, getting more uncomfortable by the minute.

"Look, they're here. They're growing duplicates of us. We have to destroy them. I've seen this happen before. It happened to that little boy. They took his parents and then they took him."

"But I don't see how these are duplicates. That's not how Zygons work. They don't grow duplicates, they kidnap the originals. So these, these are the humans." he eyes widened as the horrible realisation dawned on her, "Retreat. Retreat! This is a trap! This is an ambush! Star, please!" Jac cried seeing the girl perfectly calm as a group of Zygons surrounded them. With Clara smirking slightly.

"Kill the traitors." Clara ordered.

Star stared unblinking as she watched the Zygons kill Jac and the rest of the UNIT officers.

"I gather Star is disposed of?" 'Clara' inquired from her.

"She won't be bothering us, commander," she nodded.

"The body?"

She glanced behind one of the pods, "Dealt with."

"And you're certain you won't need anymore memories from her?"

"Commander, I assure you. I have all the memories I need. If we need more, I know she tells little Clara everything."

She smiled, "good."

~.~

"Commander calling Truth or Consequences." The Zygon version of Clara called to North America, the plan to get rid of Kate Stewart, "What is your status? Repeat, Commander calling Truth or Consequences. What is your status?"

"Commander, UNIT neutralised in North America." Kates voice responded, "Truth or Consequences."

"Copy that." She nodded to Star who nodded back as she went to the armoury pulling out a case before making another call, "Bonnie speaking. UNIT neutralised in the UK. More or less." She stared at the screen showing the Doctors plane returned back to the UK.

~.~

"Star? Clara?"

"Doctor." Clara replied as Star pulled out the missile launcher from its casing. The pair stood on a high cliff, a clear view of the Doctors plane overhead.

"I'm glad you're both ok. Listen."

"You're breaking up."

"The invasion has happened. You're probably surrounded by Zygons. Get to the TARDIS, get yourself safe. Make sure Star doesn't sneak off. And apparently my plane is never going to land, but let's see what we're going to do about that."

"I'm sorry, but your daughter is dead. Clara Oswald is dead. Kate Stewart is dead. The UNIT troops are all dead. Truth or consequences." As she finished she nodded to Star who fired the missile at the plane…


	8. The Zygon Inversion

Star aimed the missile at the plane, her arm flinching making it loose its lock on the plane and fly past. She didn't falter and merely reload, this time she wouldn't miss. She aimed again, a perfect lock and fired again, pursing her lips as the plane exploded. Whether she saw the two parachutes or not, she didn't show it.

She turned to Bonnie the Zygon, the woman smirking in satisfaction.

~.~

Star stalked through a local estate, following a Zygon in disguise as he ran, bumping into the local humans as he tried to scamper away from both her and Bonnie. The woman respecting the Doctors wishes and not letting the girl out of her sight. They followed him to his flat.

"If you cooperate I will not harm you," Star assured him, simply unlocking the door and letting them in as the man cowered away.

"We know what you are." Bonnie stated.

"Please. Please." The man begged.

"I'm going to set you free. Humans cannot accept the way we really are. If we cannot hide, we must fight. You are going to be the first. The first to make the humans see." She zapped the mans head, making him stumble and run away but it was too late. What had been done was done and they knew he was slowly turning back into his original Zygon form. They followed him back outside as he ran around the humans.

"Help me. Help me. Help! Help me." He cried as he fully transformed, unaware that Star was filming him on the phone.

"Second in command here." She made a call with the commander's permission, "The first one has been changed. We're going to retrieve the Osgood box." They walked off, the commander looked straight ahead, unaware that Star was secretly texting away on the phone.

~.~

Back at the safe house Bonnie walked past the mirror above the picture of the first Doctor, backtracking having sworn she had seen Clara in her pyjamas and not her reflection. She had been wrong. She joined Star as the girl set up the video both Osgood had pre-recorded and pressed play.

"Hello." One Osgood, in a jumper, greeted, "If you're watching this, I have been captured and interrogated."

"During the interrogation," the other, in a rainbow scarf, added, "I have revealed to you the existence of the Osgood box."

"I have revealed its location and the combination to open this safe. And guess what?"

"I lied." They both stated.

"The Osgood box exists." The second continued, "But it's not here, so stop looking."

"Really, stop." The other added.

"The Osgood box can end the ceasefire."

"The Osgood box can start the war. The Osgood box can wipe out all humankind. But there's a reason it's called the Osgood box."

"Haven't you guessed?"

In her anger Bonnie threw the laptop to the ground, stamping on it as Star watched in amusement, it was something she would do.

Star glanced down at her pocket, feeling the phone vibrating, seeing it was the Doctor calling. "Commander, its for you," she handed it over.

"You're dead," the commander stated as she answered the video call.

"Yes, well, I'm dead now," he answered, and they could see him and Osgood backing away down a street, "and I think I might be a bit more dead in a minute. What's your plan, Zygella?"

"I don't have a plan."

"Come on, you don't invade planets without having kind of plan. That's why they're called planets, to remind you to plan it? Hey, hey! That's good! Pun-tastic. Doctor Pun-tastic! Oh, come on, that was a good one, Zygella!"

"Don't call me Zygella." She hissed, "My name's Bonnie." She winked down at him.

The Doctor frowned at her, "And you're winking at me."

"I am not winking at you. Where is the Osgood box?" another wink.

"You do know what winking means? You're sending out some very mixed messages here. You know I'm over 2000 years old? I'm old enough to be your Messiah."

"I am not winking at you. Where is the box?

"We need some wheels." The Doctor glanced back at Osgood, backing back the way they came, "The van!" They back away to a white van parked on the side of the road, "Ok. Non-verbal communication. I assume that you never bothered to learn Morse code. Specs! Setting 137." He told Osgood who quickly soniced the car doors opened behind him.

"Just tell us where the Osgood box is!" Star snarled, moving so show her face on the phone, just knowing it would affect the man. She was right as he stopped dead.

The Doctor shook his head, knowing this was their way to get to him and instead looked back at Bonnie, for the time being ignoring the Zygon who looked identical to Star, "Ok, we'll have to try something else. 20 questions. Where's your pod? Is it in a tunnel? Is it in London?"

Bonnie's eyelids twitched so she quickly raised her hand to cover them, but she wasn't quick enough, the Doctor had seen all he needed as he quickly hopped into the driver's side of the van.

"Thanks very much. Gotcha!" he grinned, "Stay where you are. We're coming to get you. And for God's sake, don't let them into your memories."

"Memories? What memories? What has she got?" Bonnie inquired.

"Don't tell her where the Osgood box is, and above all, don't tell her what it is." And with that the Doctor hung up.

"Commander," Star began, "before I killed her, I got information. She knows…the human got told everything."

The Zygon held her head up high and she silently moved on to get the information from Clara. Star stood for a moment longer, watching her go. How she hoped this would all work out perfectly fine. She shook her head at that, no, she didn't care about the consequences. She didn't care about these things anymore.

~.~

Star stood just behind Bonnie and slightly to the side as they stood back in the underground tunnel. The brunette tapping on the glass of the pod that held Clara to get the woman to answer. The woman inside would see them via what would likely be her television as when most were trapped in a pod they found themselves trapped in their houses or places of work. None even realised they were trapped, they didn't check the exits, a part of their minds telling them to stay where they were.

"Hello." Bonnie greeted and Clara gasped, turning to the screen, grabbing the remote to try the switch the Zygon off, "Oh, there's no point turning over. There's nothing better on the other side. I could erase your mind."

"Then why haven't you?" Clara demanded. Her eyes drifted to Star who stood staring coldly, to look back at her Zygon self as the girl closed her eyes in concentration, trying to get inside her mind, "Having trouble?" Clara smirked, closing her eyes as well, "Let's see what I can do."

The Zygon turned back into her natural form, stumbling before catching herself and looked like Clara again. "See, this thing works two ways, you know." Clara smirked as she moved to her sofa, putting her feet up and reading the newspaper, "Trouble is, you're asking me for them, which means you can't access them, right? And you obviously can't get them from Star, because, let's face it, if you need information, she doesn't know everything."

"I can make you tell me." Bonnie threatened.

"No, you can't, otherwise you would have done already."

"I can kill you."

"Go on, then."

"You think you're calling my bluff."

"I am calling your bluff. You need me alive."

"Only as a source of information."

"Then you'd better start asking questions."

"You'd better not lie."

"You see, that's the problem. I am a brilliant liar. Ask your little pal next to you," She nodded to Star,

"You seem to think I'm stupid," Bonnie remarked, grabbed Star around her neck, making her gasp, feeling the woman's fingers digging in, "I hate to admit it but Star could never be killed by one of my boys. Now," she smirked at Clara as the woman swallowed, seeing Star looking pained, (whether Star really was hurt by the woman's grip, she didn't know), "listen to me. Here's what we're going to do. I'm going to ask you questions and if you don't tell me the exact and complete truth, I will kill your dear cousin. Do you understand me?"

Clara glanced at Star as she gagged and nodded, "Yes." If Bonnie said that Star was Star, then it had to be Star. It was true, Star couldn't be killed quite as easily as by a single Zygon.

"I will slaughter you in that pod right now. Am I lying to you?"

"No."

"Good. Then we'll begin. Where is the Osgood box? You will answer me, Clara. Truth or consequences, lie and she dies. Where is it?"

"UNIT HQ." she answered honestly, "Under the Tower of London."

"Where specifically?"

"The Black Archive."

"Ah, yes." Bonnie smiled at that, it made perfect sense, "The dark little storage facility for forbidden alien tech, where this all began. Who has access to it?"

"The Osgoods."

"Only the Osgoods?"

"The Doctor sealed it up after the last time. Didn't want UNIT interfering with the ceasefire."

"Don't avoid the question. Do only the Osgoods have access?"

"The Doctor has access, too."

"I'm assuming if he does, Star does?" Bonnie raised an expecting eyebrow.

"Yes."

"And…you have assess?"

"Yes."

"Is it a key? Or a code? No, a pass. A key code? Give it to me now."

"I can't." Clara insisted.

"Are you lying?" Bonnie grip of Star tightened making her gag.

"No, I'm not."

"But you have access of some kind."

"Obviously."

"Give it to me now."

"I told you. I can't. You know I'm not lying, I can't give you access."

"The door," Star rasped out, unable to stand the death grip anymore and wanting to breathe again, "It's keyed to body prints. You have access, double, actually."

"Ah, yes." Bonnie grinned darkly, releasing Star making her gasp, inhaling and exhaling deeply to catch up on lost breath. "and what is inside the Osgood box?"

Clara swallowed, seeing Star unable to talk anymore, "The box ends the ceasefire."

"So I'm told. How?" Bonnie inquired.

"There's a button inside the box." Clara explained, "Press it, it will transmit a signal that will unmask every Zygon on the planet for up to an hour. What's there to smile about?"

Bonnies smile continued to grow, "Ah, mass panic followed by war. Every Zygon on our side at a stroke."

"20 million Zygons against seven billion humans. That's not a war you can win."

"Then we will die in the fire, instead of living in chains. We will not be prisoners on this pathetic little planet."

Clara shook her head at her, "Most of your own kind don't want that."

"Then it's time we stopped giving them a choice." Bonnie simply shrugged.

"It's time you asked the most important question."

"Which is?"

"I'm waiting."

"Why is it called the Osgood box?"

"I'm not telling you." Clara smirked.

"You've been taught well."

"You have no idea."

"I've been looking forward to hearing you scream." Bonnie snarled.

"I'm not telling you," Clara continued, "because when you get to the Black Archive, you'll find out for yourself. And when you do, you're going to want to speak to me again. Try not to kill Star again. She doesn't like it when people try that. See you later." And with that she cut the connection by turning off the TV.

"Commander," 'Star' turned to her, rubbing her neck, "can you try not to be quite so tight next time."

"I had to make it believable," Bonnie defended.

"Yes, I know." Clara believed that she was the real Star, and the Doctor believed that she was a Zygon, everything was working perfectly, "We can't leave her pod here. The Doctor…we can't let him find her."

"Oh, don't worry. She's coming with us."

Star smirked but it faded as she saw Kate Stewart walk down towards them with a Zygon in its true form walking behind her, "North America reporting back to High Command."

"I'm going to the Black Archive." Bonnie turned to her, "I'll open it up, you," she looked between Kate and Star, "will follow."

"Of course." They both nodded.

"But first, locate the Doctor. If possible, duplicate him, and then kill him."

"With pleasure," Star smirked. Killing the Doctor while looking like his daughter. That would be sure to make him break down. She couldn't wait.

Star and Kate left the tunnel and headed to track down the Doctor and Osgood while Bonnie went to the black achieve.

~.~

"Did you kill them?" Star asked as they walked through the Estate where she and Bonnie and changed the poor helpless Zygon from earlier. She still didn't know his name. Poor thing.

"I'm sorry?" Kate glanced at her.

"Oh, come on, Stewart," Star draped an arm around the womans shoulder, "I know you aren't a Zygon. You stink of human perfume and sweat."

"Then why haven't you said anything?"

Star chuckled at her before sobering and glaring at her, "because im not a stupid Zygon! If you can take down a Zygon, I definitely can." She stopped, clapping her hand over Kates mouth, hearing voices approaching. "Dad," she smiled, seeing the man walking towards them with Osgood.

"Star!" he beamed at her, before growing concerned, "Are you all right? And Kate."

"Why wouldn't I be alright?"

"It's just I'd heard otherwise. From…"

"Me? Come on, really? A Zygon, taking me down? Did you really believe that?" Her smile faded, seeing that he really did believe her to be a Zygon, "oh my stars…"

"I'm fine. Doctor," Kate waved him off, cutting Star off, seeing that soon there would be her temper rising and she didn't want that. Better to shut her up sooner rather than later, "we know where the Zygon command centre is. We know where Clara's pod is. We can take you there."

"Well, how very convenient, because that's just exactly what we're looking for."

"Except they've taken Clara's pod with them." Star added, "To the Black Archive."

"Lead the way," the Doctor looked at Kate.

The woman nodded and led the way down to the tunnel.

Star swallowed as she walked behind them with Osgood. He didn't believe her. She had gone too far into her act that even her own father didn't believe me.

"I believe you," Osgood whispered to her. "that you are Star."

"At least someone does," Star grumbled, glaring at the Doctors back, hoping to burn a hole in his jacket, "I'm sorry about your sister."

"It wasn't your fault," Osgood assured her.

"I saw it happen. I was just a few seconds late. I could have prevented it, but I didn't."

The Doctor glanced back only to see Osgood and Star hugged. Either one of them or both of them were Zygons and he didn't know, he really hated not knowing. He wanted to believe her, that she was the real Star, but there was a nagging in his hearts that told him, no, it was Star, because Star wouldn't lie to him like this, she would have given him a clue, a small little telepathically hello or something just to prove it was her.

~.~

"Well, they like a good cave, don't they?" the Doctor remarked as they walked back down the tunnel, looking for Clara's pod despite it not being there, "How many of these pods are occupied?"

"Most of them," Star answered.

"Which one is Clara's?"

"None." Star stopped at an empty space where the womans pod had been, "as I said; she took it with her. And those two guards;" she added, hushed, nodded to the two UNIT officers approaching them, "they're Zygons. See!" she exclaimed to the Doctor, "if I was a Zygon, why would I sell out my own kind?!"

"To trick me," he countered, "to fool me. Make me think you're not Zygon."

She grabbed his hand and pulled him off to behind another pod where the body of a Zygon half transformed to look like Star laid. Dead. "It was her or me. I did what I had to do to survive."

He blinked looking at the dead Zygon to an annoyed looking Star, "well if you tricked me then you obviously tricked Zygella."

"Almost good enough." She smirked.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I didn't believe you."

"I am an excellent actress, aren't I?"

"You did fool me." He laughed. "is Kate…?" he had to ask.

"Human," she nodded.

"The Doctor is here." Kate spoke into the Zygon communicator she took from the Zygon who tried to kill her.

"Don't kill him." Bonnie responded, "We need him alive."

"What for?"

"Because I just found out why it's called an Osgood box. There's two of them."

"Two Osgoods, two boxes." The Doctor shrugged, hearing the conversation as they left the dead Zygon, "Operation Double. What did you expect?"

"What's in them, Doctor? Tell me. Now!"

"One box normalises all the Zygons."

"And the other?"

"Destroys them."

"Which is which?" she demanded.

"Ah, that would be telling."

"Which box normalises the Zygons, Doctor?" Bonnie demanded, "Tell me, or Clara dies."

"No. This is war. You pull the trigger, you pay the price."

"Kill her."

"The blue one!" Star blurted out. "it normalises all of us." She couldn't just let Clara died, but she had to continue with Bonnie's trust.

They could tell Bonnie was hesitant, "how do you know?"

"It's in Stars mind, it's in mine."

"How do you know it's not misinformation?"

"If you trust me, commander, you'll open it."

There was a moment of silence but then Bonnie yelled down at them, and they knew she had opened the blue box to reveal two more buttons, one truth, and one consequences, "Doctor!"

"Yeah, I know." He winced.

"Bring him to me!" Bonnie roared, speaking to the two Zygons in disguise as officers.

The two of them approached only for Kate to turn and shoot them. "Sorry, Doctor. Self-defence."

"How did you survive?" he asked her. He knew she was human, Star had said so. He would never doubt her again.

She smirked, "Five rounds rapid. I'm sorry, Doctor. I know you don't approve."

"Why does peacekeeping always involve killing?" the Doctor sighed as Kate stomped on the communicator with her heels, "Is this the lot?"

"No, there are plenty more of them. They were the nearest. You are you?" she glanced at Osgood.

"I'm me." The woman said.

"But human or Zygon?"

"Me."

"No, you're not," Star shook her head, "you're Osgood," she winked at the Doctor, knowing he would get the reference to the little immortal. Oh, she was hilarious. Of course, she knew which one Osgood was, it was obvious when you thought about it, but until she wanted to tell the others, she wouldn't say anything.

"What are we dealing with?" Kate got back to the point.

"20 million Zygons about to be unmasked." The Doctor replied, "You don't know whether they are human or not. And you can't fight them, not with soldiers."

"Which leads me to a very big question."

"Oh, I was really hoping that it wouldn't."

"The Zee-67, Sullivan's gas, the gas that kills the Zygons. You took it."

"Well, you know how it is. Daddy knows best." Star snorted at that, "oh, shh, you."

"Not even sorry," she laughed.

"That's what's in the red box, yes?" Kate confirmed, "Of course it is. If I remember rightly, it causes a chain reaction in the atmosphere. Turns every Zygon on Earth inside out."

"Let me negotiate peace." The Doctor tried, "You can't commit mass murder."

"Then why did you leave the gas with us?"

"The boxes are safeguards for both species. You agreed to that."

"I never agreed to that." She shook her head.

"Yeah, you did," Star argued, "and then I wiped your mind. Which! You also agreed to…after a while."

"But that's why there were two Osgoods to police the ceasefire." The Doctor continued, "One human and one Zygon, to keep the secrets and keep the peace."

"I'm sorry, Doctor." Kate remarked softly, "Truly. But the peace is failing already. Come on."

~.~

"I don't care." The group entered the Black archive to hear Bonnie sneering at Clara, the woman held by two Zygons. The only difference between them both were that the Zygon had her hair tied up.

"Hi!" the Doctor grinned as they stepped into view, "Hello! Hello! Oh, hello! Hi. Hi. Stop this. Stop this, please. Let me take both of these boxes away. We'll forgive, we'll forget. And the ceasefire will stand."

"No." Bonnie deadpanned, standing at the blue box. On the other side of the table was the red one which Kate walked over to, ready to end this disagreement.

"Doctor, which of these buttons do I press?" Kate glanced over, "Doctor, which one? Truth or consequences?"

"Truth or consequences?" Bonnie asked.

"This is the moment we've all been waiting for. Make your mind up time!" the Doctor imitated an American accent, "One of those buttons will destroy the Zygons, release the imbecile's gas. The other one detonates the nuclear warhead under the Black Archive. It'll destroy everyone in London."

"What is it with you old Scottish idiots and mocking my accent?" Star demanded, crossing her arms as she glared at the Doctor. First Missy, now him, anyone else?

The Doctor blinked at her for the sudden outburst. He didn't even realise he had done, "it just…slipped out." He offered sheepishly. she huffed but gestured him on, whatever worked, she supposed. He beamed at her before pointing at Bonnie, "Bonnie. Bonnie, sweetheart! One of those buttons will unmask every Zygon in the world. The other one cancels their ability to change form. It'll make them human beings for ever." And finally he went back into his normal accent, "There are safeguards beyond safeguards. I did this on a very important day for me and this ceasefire will stand."

"This is wrong." Bonnie glared.

Star laughed hollowly, "and it's right to want to destroy either Zygons or humans?"

Bonnie eyed her, realising now that it wasn't a Zygon, she was just Star. She had fooled her and the Doctor and everyone…only Clara had known she was the real Star. "You are responsible for all the violence. All of the suffering."

"No, we're not." The Doctor shook his head.

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes. You engineered this situation, Doctor. This is your fault."

"No, it's not. It's your fault."

"I had to do what I've done."

"And we had to do what we did." Star defended.

"We've been treated like cattle." Bonnie added.

"Oh, you poor thing," Star mocked.

"We've been left to fend for ourselves."

"So's everyone." The Doctor shrugged.

"It's not fair."

"Life's not fair." Star shot back.

"You know what?" the Doctor cried, "Our TARDIS doesn't work properly and I don't have my own personal tailor."

"I'm stuck with my dad because I have NOWHERE else to go!"

"The things don't equate." Bonnie remarked.

"These things have happened, Zygella. They are facts. You just want cruelty to beget cruelty. You're not superior to people who were cruel to you. You're just a whole bunch of new cruel people. A whole bunch of new cruel people being cruel to some other people, who'll end up being cruel to you. The only way anyone can live in peace is if they're prepared to forgive. Why don't you break the cycle?"

"Why should we?" she argued.

"What is it that you actually want?" Star had to ask. Everyone always knew what they wanted when they did thing.

"…War." She answered after a while.

"Ah!" the Doctor exclaimed, "Ah, right. And when this war is over, when you have a homeland free from humans, what do you think it's going to be like? Do you know? Have you thought about it? Have you given it any consideration? Because you're very close to getting what you want. What's it going to be like? Paint me a picture. Are you going to live in houses? Do you want people to go to work? Will there be holidays? Oh! Will there be music? Do you think people will be allowed to play violins? Who's going to make the violins? Well? Oh, you don't actually know, do you? Because, like every other tantrumming child in history, Bonnie, you don't actually know what you want. So, let me ask you a question about this brave new world of yours. When you've killed all the bad guys, and when it's all perfect and just and fair, when you have finally got it exactly the way you want it, what are you going to do with the people like you? The troublemakers. How are you going to protect your glorious revolution from the next one?"

"We'll win."

"Oh, will you? Well, maybe, maybe you will win! But nobody wins for long. The wheel just keeps turning. So, come on. Break the cycle."

"Why are you still talking?"

"Because I want to get you to see, and I'm almost there!"

"Do you know what I see, Doctor? A box. A box with everything I need. A 50 percent chance."

"For us, too." Kate agreed and the pair of them raised their hands over the buttons.

"And we're off!" the Doctor went back into his American accent making Star huff in annoyance, "Fingers on buzzers! Are you feeling lucky? Are you ready to play the game? Who's going to be quickest? Who's going to be luckiest?"

"This is not a game!" Kate yelled at him.

"No, it's not a game, sweetheart, and I mean that most sincerely."

"Why are you doing this?" Bonnie demanded, glaring at the Time Lords.

"Yes, I'd quite like to know that, too. You set this up. Why?" Kate shook her head.

"Because it's not a game, Kate." The Doctor told her, "This is a scale model of war. Every war ever fought, right there in front of you. Because it's always the same. When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die! You don't know whose children are going to scream and burn! How many hearts will be broken! How many lives shattered! How much blood will spill until everybody does until what they were always going to have to do from the very beginning. Sit down and talk!"

Star stepped forwards and took his hands in hers, the only comfort she could offer him when he got talking about the war and the Moment. Nothing she or anyone else could say would help heal him from that traumatic experience. Worst of all, she didn't know if he was talking about the Time War or Trenzalore.

He sighed, squeezing her hand for reassurance, "Listen to me. Listen, I just, I just want you to think. Do you know what thinking is? It's just a fancy word for changing your mind."

"I will not change my mind." Bonne deadpanned.

"Then you will die stupid," Star sneered, "with stupid pathetic measly little death."

"Alternatively," the Doctor continued, "you could step away from that box, you can walk right out of that door and you could stand your revolution down."

"No! I'm not stopping this, Doctor." Bonnie yelled, "I started it. I will not stop it. You think they'll let me go, after what I've done?"

"Us screaming evil kids," Star cut in, "we're the same. Look at me, look what I've just did. I fooled everyone, I made you all believe that I was a Zygon even though you said yourself that you couldn't believe one of your little Zygon boys could kill me. But I did it, you all believe me. And now here's a question." She spun to face the Doctor, "How can you possible forgive me?"

"Well, here's the unforeseeable." The Doctor added, "I forgive you. After all you've done, I forgive you. And I will always forgive you."

"You don't understand." Bonnie snarled, "You will never understand."

"I don't understand? Are you kidding? Me? Of course I understand. I mean, do you call this a war? This funny little thing? This is not a war! I fought in a bigger war than you will ever know. I did worse things than you could ever imagine. And Star, she was too young to be in the front lines of such a war, she still is. And when I close my eyes I hear more screams than anyone could ever be able to count! And do you know what you do with all that pain? Shall I tell you where you put it? You hold it tight till it burns your hand, and you say this. No one else will ever have to live like this. No one else will have to feel this pain. Not on my watch!"

Star gave a curt nod to Kate as the woman shut her box, stepping back. Hearing that, hearing what they had both actually gone through, well, it put everything into perspective, why the Doctor was so desperate to help people and even why Star acted how she did. Star, the girl didn't care, or at least said so, but after having gone through what she had done, she wasn't surprised the girl acted how she did. Star said she didn't care, but she likely cared more than anyone in the universe.

"Thank you." The Doctor breathed, "Thank you."

"I'm sorry." Was all Kate could say.

"I know. I know. Thank you."

"We're waiting," Star tapped her foot impatiently as they all looked at Bonnie expectantly.

Bonnie was silent a while before she sighed, "It's empty, isn't it? Both boxes. There's nothing in them. Just buttons."

"Of course." The Doctor smirked, "And do you know how you know that? Because you've started to think like me. It's hell, isn't it? No one should have to think like that. And no one will. Not on our watch."

"Gotcha." Both Time Lords grinned as Bonnie looked at them.

"How can you be so sure?" she asked defensively.

"Because you gave yourself the disadvantage." Star smirked, "we know that face."

"This is all very well," Kate interrupted, "but we know the boxes are empty now. We can't forget that."

"I'd agree," Star spun to her, "if you hadn't said that 25 times already." She laughed as the Doctor aimed the sonic glasses at the memory filter on the ceiling, affecting only Kate and the two Zygon's holding Clara. "I aint helping her," Star stepped back as Osgood moved to prop Kate against the wall, the two Zygons collapsing on the ground.

Bonnie closed her box, frowning "You didn't wipe my memory."

"No. Just Kate's." the Doctor nodded, "Oh, and your little friend's here, of course. When they wake up, they won't remember what you've done. It'll be our secret."

"You're going to protect me?"

"You're one of us now, whether you like it, or not." Osgood smiled at her.

"I don't understand how you could just forgive me."

"Shocking, isn't it." Star raised an eyebrow at her.

"I've been where you have." The Doctor told her, "There was another box. I was going to press another button. I was going to wipe out all of my own kind, man, woman and child. I was so sure I was right."

"What happened?" Bonnie whispered.

"The same thing that happened to you. I let Clara Oswald get inside my head. Although," he wrapped an arm around Star, "my daughter is rather spectacular."

"Not to mention stubborn," she listed, "and vain and a little bit evil." she winked at the Zygon.

~.~

"The TARDIS," Star laughed as Osgood squealed in delight at the sight of the blue box as they walked back to where they left her in the park.

"The one, the only, the best!" The Doctor nodded.

"What does it stand for?" Osgood wondered.

"What?" the Doctor stopped and looked at her, "You're kidding me? Surely you know that?"

"Well, I've heard a couple of different versions."

"I made it up from the initials. It stands for Totally And Radically Driving In Space."

"Although, most know it as Time And Relative Dimensions In Space," Star laughed, "Do you want to come? I could do with a companion, I haven't had one of my own yet and since what happened to your sister…" she trailed in discomfort, she could have done something about that, had been too weak, "All of time and space just the push of a button."

"I want to come more than anything." She told her sincerely, "But I think I have to stay. I've got a couple of boxes to keep an eye on. And a world to keep safe."

Star narrowed her eyes but as soon as Clara took her hand her face softened, "of course. Clara's as good as my companion anyway."

"Speaking of which," the Doctor glanced back at Clara, "would you mind…?"

"Er, yeah, sure." She nodded and moved to hug Osgood, "Take care, you."

"You take care of them." Osgood countered, "Don't let them die or anything."

"What if they're really annoying? Seriously, Star has a death wish."

"Then fine."

"Got ya." She winked and with a final wave disappeared inside the TARDIS.

"I need to know." The Doctor began once the door was shut again, "Which one are you?"

She rolled her eyes having expecting the question, "I'm Osgood."

"Human or Zygon?"

"I'll answer that question one day. Do you know when day that will be?"

Star smirked as another Osgood stepped out, "The day nobody cares about the answer. Gotcha!"

"Oh, look at his face." The first Osgood laughed as the Doctor stared in surprise.

"It's almost not fair."

"But I don't," the Doctor stuttered, "I don't. How…how?"

"Come on, old man," Star nudged him, "there's only one Clara isn't there?"

The Doctor blinked at her, realising she knew exactly which Osgood was which. One was Bonnie.

"But which one of you…"

"Osgood!" they both gave him stern looks.

"It doesn't matter which of us is which." The first said.

"All that matters is that Osgood lives." The second continued.

"And nothing's going to stop us!" they both finished.

"You're a credit to your species, Petronella Osgood." They Doctor smiled at them both.

"No, Basil. We're a credit to both of them."

Star snorted at that, "Basil?"

"Shh," the Doctor hissed, "you should know. I'm a very big fan." He grinned at the Osgood before they entered the TARDIS. "Star," he nearly whined at her, "which was which."

"Well," she began, "the one with the scarf was Osgood and the other one was…also Osgood." He glared playfully at her as she joined Clara who finished imputed the coordinates at the console.

"So, you must have thought Star and I were dead for a while" Clara remarked softly. "How was that?"

"Longest month of my life." He answered, pulling the leaver, dematerialising.

"I said I was sorry!" Star cried, watching as he made his way to the upper level. She turned to Clara for help, she had no idea how to make it up for him.

~.~

The Doctor frowned as he entered his room to find a cup of coffee and slice of cake on his desk with a small note attached.

'Sorry for making you think I was dead' written in Stars handwriting.

He glanced back to see Star had her face peeking through his door, "how long have you been standing there?"

"Longer than you'd think." She answered stepping into the room.

"Interesting," he mused making her frown.

"What is?"

"How long you can keep this up when I already forgave you."

"Yeah but this is more the formal apology, written and complete with peace offering," she gestured to the desk, "like what you do, leave cake outside my door but yours was open and you weren't here so I just set it down somewhere you'd see it. I didn't make it myself, so it's not poison if that what you're worried about."

"You wouldn't really try to poison me, would you?" He eyed her, cautiously caking the cake.

She shrugged, "There's a first time for everything." She laughed as he choked on the piece he chewed on, "its so easy!"


	9. Sleep no more

"Don't you dare!" Clara cried as soon as they stepped out of the TARDIS and into a dark spaceship or something similar. They didn't really know, just put on the randomiser on the console and took off for another adventure.

"I wasn't gonna do anything!" Star raised her hands in surrender as Clara turned to her.

"Then how did you know I was blaming you?"

She pouted, caught out, "I don't like you anymore." It wasn't like she had been planning to try and sneak up behind her and try to scare her. Nope. Definitely not.

"Yeah you do." She grinned, hugging her.

"Are you almost done with this?" the Doctor inquired, sighing at the pair. "Shall we go?" he walked off down the corridor.

"Do you ever feel like you're being watched?" Clara wondered, taking out a torch and shining it around the dark corridor.

"Paranoia," Star teased wrapping her arms around the woman's neck.

"You're one to talk," she scoffed, "always complaining of a headache? Or have you forgotten that as well?" ah yes, the time Star was paranoid when Missy was watching over them. Of course, they didn't know that back then. And of course she claimed to have forgotten what happened in the cargo hold. Liar.

Star glared at her, proceeding to cross her arms, "…shut up!"

"Ah ah ah!" the Doctor quickly cut in, "no. stop it!"

"We weren't doing anything," Star huffed. Honestly, the littlest thing and he got worried that they would start yelling at each over, all people of the moon incident.

"Why is it so dark?" Clara frowned, "Night-time setting?"

"Faulty filament." The Doctor added, "Three-day week."

"Basically orbiting around Neptune." Star added, gesturing to the window where they could see Neptune below.

"Yeah. This close into the planet, they must have some pretty powerful anti-grav shielding on board."

"Looks like a Japanese restaurant." Clara shone her torch on the red wall showing an oriental mask, "Oh! Have you brought me to a space restaurant?"

"People never do that, you know?"

"Do what?"

"They never put the word space in front of something just because everything's all sort of hi-tech and future-y. It's never space restaurant or space champagne or space, you know, hat. It's just restaurant, champagne or hat. Even if this was a restaurant."

"What about spacesuit?"

"Pedant."

Star whirled around hearing the sound of powering rifles to see a group of soldiers aiming at them. She nudged the Doctor who rubbed his side in pain.

"What was that for?" he turned to her, following her gaze to see the people, "oh hello."

"Are you crew?" one, a woman, demanded, "Are you crew?" the Doctor slowly reached into his pocket to pull out the psychic paper and held it up, "Engineering stress assessors?

"Yes. Yes, we are." He nodded. "We're here to, er…"

"We're here to assess stress." Clara finished for him.

"Yeah," Star agreed, "assessing stress."

"So, what happened?" the woman asked.

"From the beginning of time?" the Doctor frowned, "That's a very long story."

"Doctor." Clara hissed

"Well, we just arrived, you know, and there was nobody about. What are you doing here?"

The woman lowered her rifle but still eyed them cautiously, "24 hours ago, this station fell silent. No comm signal. Nothing. Dead. We've come to find out why."

"Theories?"

"Could be anything. Meteorite strike. Space pirates."

"Ah, see? Not just pirates, space pirates." Clara grinned.

"So you're the rescue mission?" Star eyed the four of them.

"Yes."

"Of four?" the Doctor frowned.

"Cuts, pet. Right, you're to consider yourself…" The woman in charge began sharply.

"Part of the furniture!"

"Under my command."

Star snorted, "yeah. Good luck with that one, dude."

"Come on." The woman led them off.

"Where are we?" Clara whispered as they walked, having little other choice.

"38th century." Star answered, "And it's a…Tuesday."

"Hmm. Indo-Japanese." The Doctor hummed, "After the Great Catastrophe, there was a tectonic realignment. India and Japan, they were sort of merged."

"We still don't know where the rest of the crew are, though. I mean, a place this size?" Clara continued until his words hit her, "Hey, what? Great Catastrophe? What Great Catastrophe?"

"Oh, I can't wait to show you that!" Star grinned, "trust me, you'll love it!"

"Mind you," the Doctor frowned, glancing around the place, "this place looks as if it's been dead for a long while now." He ran his finger on the edge of a window, blowing the dust of it. It was rather dusty.

"What's wrong?" Star sighed seeing that Clara kept looking back over her shoulder.

"I still can't shake the feeling." She murmured.

"Eyes." One soldier spoke, "Watch. Eyes in sky."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" another soldier, a young man, demanded.

"Chopra not worry. 474 protect Chopra. Chopra pretty." she reached out to stroke the mans cheek who slapped her hand away.

"Oh, for the Gods'. Just back off!" the man pushed the woman who reacted badly by holding him in a choke hold.

"Oh, come on now." Another man moaned.

"Let him go, pet!" the female ordered. "Let him go, now!"

"474 sorry." 474 released the young man, moving to cowering a corner, whimpering, "Not help it!"

"It could have killed me!" the young soldier yelled.

"Shame," Star whispered in Clara ear, the woman tried to hide her smile and nudged in for her rudeness.

"That's how they're grown." The woman in charge explained, "You know that. They react to any attack."

"Grown?" Clara frowned at that.

"They might not give them much upstairs, but our friend here certainly knows how to fight. You'd be glad of her in a tight corner, I'll bet."

"What does she mean, grown?"

The Doctor knelt in front of 474 as he answered her, "She's a Grunt, Clara. They're bred in hatcheries. Cloned muscles. Low intelligence. Brute force. Instant army."

"A what?" she gasped, "that's just how they roll in the 38th century?"

"Yeah, basically."

"I'm not the only one who heard that am I?" Star asked, squinted into the darkness. All of them having heard growls in the distance, in the darkness, where they couldn't see.

"Hold my hand," the Doctor whispered.

"I'm ok." Clara insisted.

"I'm not."

Clara looked at him in surprise, it wasn't often the Doctor was scared. She took in hand in comfort. Just making out that Star had already took his other hand in hers, seeing him squeezing it. Something was wrong when they were both scared. Or were they just pretending?

The soldiers aimed their rifles, the lights illuminating two humanoid figures.

"On your command," Star hissed to the Doctor.

"Run!" he yelled and they quickly tuned and ran down the corridor, "run! Run! Run!"

"This way!" one male soldier shouted, running straight ahead.

"No, this way!" the woman led them down another corridor, "deep-Andro!" it was too late, he had run off.

They continued running until they reached an old laboratory.

"Star!" the Doctor turned to her as he slammed the door behind him.

"On it." She nodded and using her powers she moved a cabinet in front of the door, but not before one of the creatures got its arm through, as the door shut on it, its arm fell to the fall into dust.

"What the hell are they?" the woman panted, catching her breath back, "Where did they go?"

"Well at least we know they're not pirates." The Doctor tried to lighten up the situation.

"We've got to get Deep-Ando!"

"Where's your friend?"

"Deep-Ando? I dunno." The younger man shook his head, "He's…"

"He's still out there!" the woman cried before calming down and trying the comms, "Deep-Ando, this is Nagata. May the Gods look favourably upon you. Deep-Ando, are you there?" the Doctor frowned picking up some of the dust and looking at it through a mircroscope. The woman, Nagata frowned at him, "What are you doing?"

"Finding out what they're made of." He replied.

"Send the Grunt." The man waved her off.

"No." Nagata argued.

"Why not? That's what it's for. Look, he's still out there! You can't just abandon him."

"I need proper intel before I risk anyone else, including 474. Keep trying the comms."

He huffed but nodded, "Deep-Ando, may the Gods look favourably upon you."

"Well?" Nagata looked at the Doctor

"Organic." He replied, frowning at the results, "Definitely organic. Blood cells. Skin cells. Mucus."

"What are these?" Clara asked, pointing to the two large white cabinets she and Star stood near.

"Morpheus." the man looked at her as through she was mad for not knowing.

"Morpheus? Named after the God of Dreams? Oh, yeah." She grinned as Star tried and failed to not look impressed at Clara knowledge "Ooh, yeah. Not just this."

"Not just what?" Star smirked, "A wide face."

She sent her an unamused look "So, what are they, then? Sleep pods?"

"More than that." The man answered before getting static in his comm and trying to contact the other soldier, "Deep-Ando? Deep-Ando, can you hear me?"

"Keep trying." Nagata told him.

"I could take a look at that." The Doctor offered, nodding to their comms, "You know, triangulate the signal, help you find your friend."

"First, tell me what those things are." Nagata was close to glaring at him.

"Deep-Ando, this is Chopra." He called into the comm, just managing to get through, "I'm getting a signal. Deep-Ando, can you hear me? Deep-Ando? Deep-Ando, this is Chopra. Can you hear me?"

"Star!" Clara screamed and when Star whirled around Clara had been pulled into the Morpheus cabinet.

"Clara!" Star ran over as an alarm sounded and four small holographic ladies in 1950s style dresses appeared on the cabinet, singing.

"Bom, bom, bom, bom, bom, bom. Mr Sandman, bring me your dreams."

"Open!" Star gritted her teeth, "you stupid box!"

"Clara!" the Doctor rushed over and helped Star to try and get her out.

"It's fine, it's just Morpheus." Nagata assured them, but it didn't comfort either Time Lord, both just wanting to see Clara as proof she was fine.

"Make him the cutest that I've ever seen." The hologram continued.

"That song is almost as annoying as Mysterious Girl," Star grumbled, "almost." She still started randomly singing that damn song.

Finally after what felt like hours where it was only a few minutes, the singers vanished and the cabinet opened, showing Clara lying there, eyes closed with neon tubes attached to her skin.

"What did you think you were doing?" Star demanded, "you do not just go inside random machines to find out what it does!"

"Huh?" Clara opened her eyes to see Star nearly glaring at her in concern and the Doctor removing the tubes, "It dragged me in. The wires, they were like snakes, like it was alive."

"But are you okay? Not that I care or anything…"

"I'm fine." Clara nodded, "It just kind of flicked over my eyes. Did I sleep?"

"Yeah, you did." Chopra nodded.

"Why, why did it just grab at me?"

"Semi-sentient." The Doctor scanned it with the sonic, "It thinks it knows what's good for you. You obviously needed forty winks. Clever little sleep pod. You said it was something more than that, though."

"Come on, everyone knows." Nagata scoffed at them.

"Then it won't be hard for you to explain," Star snapped at her.

"Last pod." 474 walked over to the end pod, "This pod. Not empty."

"Bom, bom, bom, bom, bom, bom." The signers began on the last pod.

"Still not as annoying as Mysterious Girl," Star remarked.

"Still don't want to hear it, though." The Doctor muttered and pulled out a square DVD from the pod before trying to force the shutter open. "It's almost like someone's…" he nearly got it open before it slammed shut again.

"Out the way." Star pushed him aside, rubbing her hands before pounding on the pod, "wakey-wakey! It time to get up you lazy b…"

"Star!" Clara gasped, "let me try." She lightly tapped on the pod, "Hellooo? It's ok. We're not going to hurt you. Will you open up now? Come on. Let's er, let's start with names, shall we? Er I'm Clara. This is the Doctor. You've heard Star." Slowly the hatch began to open, "It's okay."

As the hatch fully opened an olding man with glasses poked his head out.

"Name?" Star demanded, eying the man.

"Professor Rassmussen." He answered her.

It was then that a large holographic face appeared above the pods, "May the Gods look favourably upon us all. Friends. We live in a time of unparalleled prosperity. A golden age of peace, harmony and industry. But every shift must come to an end. Every working day must stop." A small holographic yawning woman appeared on the outstretched hand, "Of course, we can take stimulants to make that deadline, to keep us propped up through that important meeting. But always, always, sleep claims us in the end." The smaller holographic lied down as if to sleep, "Until now."

"Sleep-deprivation pods?" the Doctor frowned.

"Not exactly." Chopra said.

"Welcome, Morpheus." The large hologram continued and the singers began their song, "The Morpheus machine concentrates the whole nocturnal experience into one five minute burst. Now, you can go a whole month without sleep."

"A month?" Clara gaped, and she struggled to pull all nighters.

"All the chemical benefits of rest, but freeing up the nights to continue working, working, working. To get the edge on your competitor. To turn that extra profit."

"That's insane. That's horrible!"

"Finally, someone who sees it for what it is." Chopra sighed in relief.

"Leave the Rip Van Winkles behind and become one of a new generation of Wide-Awakes! The future is here. The future is now. Let yourself slip into the arms of Morpheus!" the head vanished.

"But sleep is…" the Doctor began.

The head reappeared, "Terms and conditions apply." And gone again. For good this time.

"Sleep is vital. Sleep is wonderful."

"Even I sleep." Star added.

"When?" Clara looked at her.

"When you're sleeping." She went to bed later than Clara so the woman just expected her stay up all night.

"Is that why you're in your room until the middle of the day and only come out after 3 cups of coffee?"

"Yeah." She hated getting up early, this regeneration was much more of a night owl as people say. She preferred it when they went to places during the night. There was something about the night sky and the darkness that she found oddly comforting. And the sun made her squint her eyes, she didn't like that.

"Morpheus is mine." Rassmussan spoke up, getting out of said pod, "My invention. It's changed Triton society forever."

"So, how does it work?" the Doctor questioned.

"Er, the pod sends out a coded electronic signal that acts on certain parts of the brain. Changes the fundamental chemistry."

"It's disgusting." Chopra sneered, "Making people into bloody drones. I've said it before…"

"Aye, you have." Nagata cut him off. Obviously tired of him complaining about it.

"Colonising our sleep. Is nothing sacred?"

"We spend a third of our lives asleep." The man remarked, "And time is money."

"He's right, man." Nagata nodded, "It's amazing. Everyone on Triton's using it."

"Are they now?" the Doctor mused, "Sleep, that knits up the ravelled sleeve of care. The death of each day's life, sore labour's bath. Balm of hurt minds, chief nourisher in life's great feast. Congratulations, Professor. You've revolutionised the labour market. You've conquered nature."

"Thank you." The man smiled.

"You've also created an abomination." Star sent the professor a harsh look. She got mad when people create abominations, mainly because of Missy (not that she cared about the woman! Obviously.) But the Time Lords had messed with her life, forced her to become who she was. No one, not even the Time Lords, messed with her family.

~.~

The group wondered down the dark corridors, the only lights coming from the soldiers riffles. They'd gone to find the other soldier- whatever they had said his name was. They were being cautious those, Star keeping her eye on the professor. She didn't know what, but she was sure that were was a connection between Morpheus and whatever creature had attacked them.

"I have a theory," the Doctor began. "They're sleep dust."

"Sleep dust?" Chopra repeated.

"Sleep dust."

"You're kidding." Nagata deadpanned.

"Well do I look like I'm kidding? Is this a kidding face? Ask the crew of this station if they're kidding. Or what's left of them."

"But sleep dust?"

"Yes. The stuff in the corner of your eye. The stuff you wipe away every morning when you wake up."

"That's ridiculous." Rassmussan scoffed, "This is getting us nowhere."

"Ok," Clara nodded slowly, trying to understand, but still confused, "how, Doctor? How can those things be made of sleep dust?"

"Well, when we sleep, the mucus crust builds up in our eyes. Blood cells, skin cells. That's what dust largely is. Human skin. But your meddling has evolved it. Hot-housed it. What used to be sleep in your eye has turned into a carnivorous life form."

"You can't just throw accusations like that around!" Rassmussan exclaimed.

"So, the longer you're in Morpheus, the more the dust builds up?" Clara wondered.

"That's slander!"

"People lying in those pods are a ready-made food source," Star murmured, nodding along with his theory. It made sense when you thought about it.

"Well, where are they, then?" Clara shook her head, "Where's the crew?"

"Digested."

"Are you enjoying this? Disturbing me with your words."

"Little bit."

"Come on," Nagata interrupted, "we need to find Deep-Ando. So what about us? We've all used the pods back on Triton."

"Not all of us." Chopra grinned.

"This isn't a good time to be smug, pet."

"Well, my guess is that the ones you're using are pretty primitive compared to what's going on up here." The Doctor reasoned, "These are a sort of a Mark Two, yeah?"

"Obviously," Rassmussan agreed, "I have tried to improve the process. Speed things up."

"You've succeeded there."

"But how does the dust become those creatures?" Nagata asked.

"You saw what happened. The dust conglomerates and moulds itself into humanoid form. It's adaptable. It's clever."

They all paused hearing a low growl down the corridor, seeming to be following them.

"And it's coming for us." Star muttered.

"Look, you came to rescue the crew." Rassmussan turned to Nagata, in a rushed panic, "I'm crew, so rescue me!"

"How come you're the only one left?" Clara asked the question both Time Lords had been wondering.

"Because I hid. I hid in the only place I thought those monsters wouldn't find me. Look, we've got to get out of here!"

"We can't just go and leave the dust or your machines here." Star argued. That would be dangerous, this machine are dangerous. They needed to be destroyed.

"Or that'll be it for your lot." The Doctor finished.

"Our lot?" Nagata frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Oh, the human race."

"Surely you've gather that we are cleverer than you apes." Star looked at the woman.

Clara cleared her throat. "What?" Star turned to her, "you're excluded."

~.~

They made it into another laboratory, locking the door to keep the creatures out only for the room to begin to shake violently, the gravity shields failing, sending them closer to Neptune. The Doctor had taken the schematic from Nagata helmet, patching it to the station and managed to get the gravity on line. But not before one of the creatures got inside and killed Rassmussan but they had quickly run off, the Doctor, Star, Clara and Nagata locking themselves in the cold store while Chopra and 474 went elsewhere.

"Chopra. 474." Nagata called into the comm, "May the Gods. Where are you?!"

"Oh, God. Of all the places!" Clara gasped, "A cold store. Nagata, are you ok?"

"No, I'm not."

"What about the others?"

"I don't know." The Doctor answered.

"We have to go after them."

"Don't be ridiculous." Star scoffed.

"Star!" Clara stared at her.

"They're under my command." Nagata continued, "I owe it to them."

"To die?" the Doctor raised an eyebrow, agreeing with Star to stay where they were, "They wouldn't thank you for that. Nor you, Clara. To die, to die. Glamis hath murdered sleep, therefore Cawdor shall sleep no more. Macbeth shall sleep no more."

"What?"

"Shakespeare. He really knew his stuff."

"Shame I wouldn't know," Star sighed, "seeing as someone won't let me go and see him."

"I'd rather not run into Queen Elizabeth. Again." He still had nightmares about that woman.

"True."

"See my reasoning?"

She scrunched up her nose, giving him a small nod, but she had to say, "Didn't he flirt with you?"

"oh for..." he huffed, of course shed figure that out, "They all did. The Ancients. The poets. All those sad songs. All those lullabies. Sleep is essential to every sentient being in the universe. But to humans. Greedy, filthy, stupid humans. It's an inconvenience to be bartered away. Well, now we know the truth. Sleep isn't just a function. It's blessed. Every night we dive deep into that inky pool, deep into the arms of Morpheus. Every morning, we wake up and wipe the sleep from our eyes, and that keeps us safe. Safe from the monsters inside."

"Well, the bloody monsters are outside now." Nagata glared at him, "What do we do?" the creatures thudded against the door and so they moved further into the room where the meat was hanging from hooks, "Dead meat." She turned only to see the Doctor has the sonic glasses on and is projecting a video of himself, Star and Clara room when they first arrived. "What are you doing?

"I've hacked into your helmet cams." He replied.

"What?"

"Reviewing the footage. There's something not right here."

"We don't have helmet cams."

"Why did it kill Rassmussen like that?" Star wondered.

"That's what they do, isn't it?" Clara countered, "Kill people?"

"In a direct attack like that. Come on Clara, you're cleverer than that."

"Dust grows. It consumes the host. They evolve."

"Maybe." The Doctor nodded, "There's something going on here. Something we're not getting."

"So what now?" Clara shook her head, "We can't stay in here. We're going to freeze to death. And we can't go back out there because the Sandmen will get us."

"Sandmen?"

"Yeah, it's a good name. It fits, like the song. Bom, bom, bom…"

"Do not start singing!" Star yelled.

"You don't get to name things. I'm the Doctor. I do the naming."

"Why?"

"Because that what I do!"

"If Star named them you wouldn't be complaining."

The girl snorted, "Yeah, he would."

"It's like the Silurians all over again." The Doctor grumbled, and yes, he probably would complain if Star named them.

"Ok, well, what would you prefer then? The Dustmen?" Clara suggested.

He hesitated a moment before grumbling, "Sandmen."

Star blinked and turned to Nagata, the womans words hitting her, "What did you just say?"

"When?" she frowned.

"Something about your helmets."

"I said we don't have helmet cams."

"That door isn't going to last much longer." Clara remarked as they moved to hide behind the meat, hearing the creatures banging on the door.

"So, what do we do?"

"We let them in." the Doctor stated.

"What?"

"We let them in. we hide and sneak past them."

"That could work." Star nodded.

"This is ridiculous," Nagata shook her head, but hid along with the other three, hiding behind the sacks of meat as a creature made its way inside the room.

Star peeked through her sack, seeing the creature looking around, as though it couldn't see. The Doctor noticed as well and gestured to the other two. The four of them slowly and quietly tiptoeing past the creature, nearly making it out without being noticed, but of course, the Doctor accidentally kicked something and the creature heard. They quickly ran out of the store, slamming the door behind them, locking the creature inside.

~.~

"You said you felt like you were being watched." Star looked at Clara as they reached the engine room.

"Paranoia, you said."

"Look what happened last time I felt like being watched."

Clara nodded. The Mistress came and turned all dead into Cybermen, including her recently hit by a car and dead boyfriend.

The Doctor placed the sonic sunglasses on a ledge on the wall, showing images onto the wall opposite, everything they had done today, "There is a feed. Wireless. These images are being stored by someone. Collated. Nagata, look at this footage. What's wrong with it? What's wrong with it?"

"Don't know." Nagata shook her head.

"Look, there's one very obvious thing about it. Do you see it yet? No? I'll tell you what's wrong. There's footage here of everyone. But what's missing in all of it? What can't you see anywhere? Not in the footage, not on this ship. Look. Really look."

"There are no cameras here."

The Doctor snapped his fingers at Star for that, "No CCTV. No helmet cams. So, how and why does this footage even exist? The dust has been watching us. Each little organic speck, just a tiny spy drifting through the air. The monsters have been with us all along. That's why the Sandmen are blind. Their visual receptors are being hijacked. But by whom, and why? And then, there's this." He pointed at the image that was showing him pointing at the image, continuing for infinite. "That's you, Clara. That's you, looking at me."

"Me?" she blinked, looking at the image, it changing to show her looking at it.

"You went into the pod. The Morpheus process has begun. There's nothing here from Chopra's point of view because he refuses to use Morpheus. But everybody else is here. Including you. You don't have a camera, Clara. But you will have by now, sleep in your eye."

"Okay, well, we'll fix this." She tried to smile, not sure how to react knowing that it was because of the sleep in her eye that was making the sandmen creatures, "You will fix this."

"Yes. I'm sure it'll be fine." He nodded, though he was unable to believe in 100%, "I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Sure?"

"We'll sort you out, Clara." Star promised, "and everyone else if we have to. And then we will destroy Morpheus forever. Nothing shall ever harm you Clara." Star squeezed the womans hand. A promise she'd never break, Clara Oswald shall never die, she'll make sure of that.

"Ok then." Clara smiled. She loved it when Star showed that she did in fact care, even if she pretended she didn't, "Let's get on with it. The power's been almost entirely out since we arrived, but we've still got emergency lighting. But the engines are still on."

"Well, there was that incident with the grav-shields, but. Ah."

"What, what, what, what, what?"

"The grav-shields didn't fail. They were deliberately powered down."

"By the Sandmen?" Nagata asked.

"Well, that's not their style, is it?" the Doctor countered, holding up two disconnected power couplings, "It's like, it's like something's been kept here, near the engines, where it's hot. Like something's being kept alive."

"Well, you said someone's watching, collating images. Well, if it's not the Sandmen, then who is it?"

"I think I know," Star shot her a nasty smile, "and I think I know where they are." She turned and stalked out of the room, the others following, the Doctor picking up the sunglasses as he followed. If he was right, he knew who it was as well.

"Rescue ship?" Nagata frowned as she followed them to the rescue ship, "Why are we going to the rescue ship?"

"Because that's where he'll be."

"Gagan Rassmussen." The heard the man speaking onto a comm., "I'm Gagan Rassmussen. This is Le Verrier lab in orbit around Neptune. I've put things together into some kind of order."

"Busted!" Star smirked as they stepped into his view, the man jumping in surprise.

"You had that prepared well in advance, didn't you?" the Doctor glared at him, "Your statement. Your alibi. There would inevitably be questions when you got to Triton. So, you needed to get your story straight."

"You can't fight them, Doctor." Rassmussen shook his head, "There's no point. They're the future. A new life form. A better life form. That's very clear to me now. They've made me understand. And we're to be their food, and that's only correct. I just needed to find a way to get them off this station, and back to Triton. And then, they'll spread. Spread everywhere."

"And that's what you want?" Clara frowned at him, "You're helping them wipe out humanity!"

"Things have been made very clear to me!"

"But we saw you die." Nagata shook her head, "The Sandmen swallowed you."

"You should know professor," Star narrowed her eyes at him, "I hate playing other people pathetic, silly, little games."

"They speak to me in my mind." Rassmussen continued, "Trust me, I think. But they're like children. Babies. So new. Evolving. Hungry. Always so hungry. I made them understand. We had to find a way out. And then there'd be new food sources. Unlimited. So, they spared me. And we waited."

"You and your cargo." The Doctor said.

He nodded "I got it in here while you were all distracted." He opened another bulkhead door to reveal a closed Morpheus pod.

"What's in there?" Clara inquired, "Dust?"

"It's like smuggling a jam jar full of germs through customs." The Doctor commented.

"No." Rassmussen began to smile, "No, more than that."

"What do you mean?"

"I've been working on Morpheus for a very long time, Doctor. I had to start somewhere. Morpheus's first client. Patient Zero. The ultimate Wide-Awake. Inside there is a man who hasn't slept in five years."

"Or what's left of him."

"He's the well-spring. Once we get to Triton, he will spread his spores."

"But you said it was an encoded signal." Clara reminded them, "Something electronic in the Morpheus process that changed the chemical reaction in the brain."

"That's how it started, yes, but it's changing all the time. Evolving new ways to infect, to flourish. Whole moons, whole planets, whole civilisations. They'll spread everywhere."

"You know I can't allow that." The Doctor said, shaking his head at Star seeing her moving to behind the man, hand in her pocket, likely gripping her dagger.

"You can't stop them. None of us can."

Nagata aimed at him, "I wouldn't bet on that, pet."

Rassmussen raised his hands before grabbing a lapel. As the pod began to open and a sandman sat up, roaring. Nagata spun and fired at it giving Rassmussen time to run out, closing the door behind him.

The Doctor put a finger to his lip, signally them to keep quiet, it was blind after all, "What he wants is to get that thing off this ship. We have to stop him."

"Any ideas?" Nagata hissed.

"The doors are not a problem." The Doctor faced the doors with the sonic on his face, unlocking the door to see Rassmussen at the controls.

"But that is."

"Star;" the Doctor glanced at her, "distraction?"

"Way ahead of you," she smirked.

"On your signal."

Star pulled out an old wind up mouse, "hey, Mr Sandman!" she yelled at him before throwing the mouse at it, the sandman following the mouse. "run!"

And with her signal they ran out of the room, the Doctor quickly locking the doors once they were all out, trapping the sandman.

"Rassmussen!" Star advanced dangerously on him, "Turn off the engines. Shut this ship down. Two chooses; do that or die."

"I can't do that, I'm afraid, Star." The man argued making Star raise an eyebrow at his wrong choice, "We can't fight the inevitable. Humanity's day is done."

"Yeah?" Nagata scoffed, "Well, Humanity might have something to say about that, pet." She fried at him, making him slump in the chair as he died.

"No!" the Doctor yelled, just a little too late.

"Is that your answer for everything?" Clara demanded. It was almost as bad as Star.

"Did you have a better one?" she argued.

"Yes actually," Star glared at her.

"And what would that be?"

"Stab him."

"Star." The Doctor nearly whined at that.

"He's not even the only one dead." Star added, waving her hand to wave off his complaining as she looked at the computer displacing the life signs, "According to this data, we're the only ones left alive on this station."

"Doctor." Clara gasped as the Sandman banged on the wall, the mouse obviously needed to be winded up again.

"We've got to go!" Nagata insisted.

"This doesn't make any sense." The Doctor shook his head, not moving. "A man who hasn't slept for five years?"

"Well, you heard what he said." Clara shrugged, "That's the first Morpheus patient."

"But the dust consumes the host."

"And then they make Sandmen. They conglomerate."

"We escaped from that cold storage room because they were blind. And why power down the grav-shields when he did?"

"It's like this is all for effect…" Star trailed.

"Look, can we maybe have this conversation when we get off this thing?" Clara cut in, rolling her eyes as both Time Lords were too stubborn to even budge.

"Like a story." The Doctor finished.

"Come on!" Nagata shouted, losing her patience on the stubborn people and running ahead.

"Doctor. Star. Can we discuss this while we're running?" Clara asked and without an answer, took both their hands and tugging them off.

"How do we get off this crate?"

"The same way we got here in the first place," Star answered, taking Clara's hand, the two leading the way through the corridors and back to where they parked the TARDIS.

"We have to get to Triton, destroy all the Morpheus machines." The Doctor stated, "End this.

"I've never been so pleased to see…" Clara breathed as the TARDIS came into view only for a Sandman appeared between them, with more behind them, trapping them.

"Nagata!" the Doctor cried, quickly spinning her around and using her helmet for the schematic, quickly turning the anti-grav shields off.

"What did you just do?" Nagata gasped.

"Self-destructed the grav-shields."

"What?"

"It's working!" he cheered as the station began to tilt, the sandmen falling to pieces, allowing them to reach the TARDIS, Clara using her key to unlock the doors. Of course Star could easily push the open but sometimes it was nice to use her key.

"Neptune's gravity is pulling them apart, bit by bit!" the Doctor explained, "It doesn't make sense. None of this makes any sense."

"I know it doesn't!" Star agreed, "just get inside!" she dragged him inside with Nagata gasping at the bigger-on-the-inside, the trio running to the console to dematerialise them.


	10. Face the raven

Clara laughed as she ran through the TARDIS door and into the console room, closely followed by a smirking Star and a smiling, but trying not to, Doctor, "I told you it'd work!" she cheered.

"It very nearly ate you for dinner." The Doctor chastised.

"Oh, admit it. I totally saved your life."

"It wasn't going to eat me."

"I totally saved you from having to marry that giant sentient plant thing. If that actually went ahead, you know you wouldn't have survived Star wrath. And that bit when I jumped over the side? That was amazing." Star snorted, grinning at her, "Ha! I knew you were impressed."

The Doctor just rolled his eyes at the pair, "The second most beautiful garden in all of time and space, and we can never come back here because you, Miss Oswald, decided to…" he trailed off as he phone began to ring.

Clara gestured to it, cautious, not many people rung them nowadays. She had walked in on Star speaking to Missy on the phone, but apart from her, no one really rung them. And after last time with the bank hiest, even she had been cautious. They really needed to get user ID.

The Doctor waved Clara to answer it.

"Hello?" she called into the phone as Star put in on speaker.

"Clara? It's Rigsy." The man answered.

"Oh. Rigsy. Hey. What's wrong?"

"So I have this, er, it kind of looks like a tattoo."

"Seriously?" Clara huffed, turning her back on the glaring Star, "I gave you this number for emergencies."

"It's an emergency, trust me. Just come and take a look at it. Please."

"I don't recall either of us giving you permission to give that graffiti dog our number," Star snapped.

Clara waved her off, continuing to speak to Rigsy, "Look, look, no matter how bad it is, we cannot take you back down your timeline just to fix a tattoo."

"That's just it. I didn't get a tattoo. And it's, it's counting down."

"Sorry, what?" Clara frowned.

"The tattoo," he explained, "it's a number and it's counting down to zero."

"Hang tight. We'll be right there."

"Hurry. Please."

"We will." She promised and hung up, holding up her hand as Star opened her mouth to complain about her giving their number to Rigsy.

~.~

They tracked down where Rigsy was now living in a flat in London and parked in a lovely nursery room where Rigsy was just setting down his baby into her pink cot.

"If it isn't Fluorescent Pudding Brain" Star announced, as she stepped into the room.

"What have you done this time?" the Doctor inquired as he followed, now out of his hoodie and instead in a burgundy velvet coat, looking the smartest and well dressed in had done for months.

"Nothing," he insisted, "I… I didn't do anything last time!"

"That was actually a praise from when your art saved the world." Star busied herself was looking around the room, judging the boys new life.

"Don't ask about the regeneration," Clara whispered to him, seeing him just staring at Star. Of course he wouldn't know about Time Lords and regenerations, "Star gets pretty cross."

Rigsy just nodded, not bothering to ask about how someone could go from bowtie and corset wearing ginger to leather obsessed. He didn't want to. "We have to keep it down. My Mum'd freak about all this, and Jen's only just got to sleep."

"Jen?" Clara frowned.

"My fiancée."

"You're engaged?"

"Did you make this young pup?" Star asked, pointing down at the baby bundled in the pink blankets.

"Lucy." He smiled, "Yeah, she's mine."

"Rigsy! She's gorgeous." Clara cooed down at the baby.

"She's better than that. She's brilliant." The Doctor smiled at the gurgling baby, "What are you doing running round getting tattoos when there's a brilliant new human?"

"Shh!" Clara hissed as the Doctor raised his voice, Rigsy had just said that his fiancée had just gotten to sleep.

"Look, I didn't get anything." The boy argued, "I woke up this morning and it was just there. Jen noticed it."

"Ok, show me this tattoo that you didn't get, then." The Doctor rolled his eyes. Rigsy turned and pulled down the collar of his jumper showing the tattoo with the number 533, "It's a tattoo. It's very boring."

"No, wait. Just, just keep watching."

"What were you doing last night?" Clara wondered.

"That's just it. Yesterday was a total blank. Jen said that I left the house before dawn, I missed work, and I didn't get back till after midnight. No one saw me all day."

The Doctor flicked through the baby picture book, occasionally glancing at Rigsy's tattoo before the number changed from 533 to 532, "Oh, that's not boring. That is very not boring."

"What?" Clara shook her head, "What is it?"

The Doctor scanned Risgys tattoo with the sonic sunglasses, "Ok, Local Knowledge, you're coming with us. Bring the new human." He entered the TARDIS,

"Don't bring the new human." Star argued, "We'll just get distracted." She couldn't help it she loved kids. "Bye sweetie." She kissed the baby's forehead before entering the TARDIS.

~.~

Risgy stood still as a golden line scanned his body. They'd gone to drop baby Lucy of with Risgys mum since Jen was asleep and he didn't want her to worry.

"If you want your extremities to stay attached, stand absolutely still." The Doctor told him from the monitory.

"If not, I'll personally provide a small bag," Star added from the other side of the console, "you can take them home at the end."

"Rigsy, your phone." Clara frowned from where she plugged it into the console, "It's like they've wiped it, but only the last day. No location data, no texts, nothing. You're sure the screen wasn't cracked before yesterday?"

"Mmm hmm." He couldn't move and so that was all he could manage.

"Oh." The Doctor blinked as the scan came through, "Right, ok, here we go. Ah Good. Weird. Good and weird."

"Can I?"

Star glanced at Rigsy, seeing him still not moving even though the scan was over, "A moment longer."

"Star," the Doctor shot her a look as she grinned, "Of course can move." The boy let out a breath that he hadn't needed to hold, "First off. In the last 24 hours, you have had significant contact with alien lifeforms, right here in the centre of London."

"Ok, so why don't I remember anything?"

"You've been retconned."

"Huh?"

"What conned?" even Clara blinked.

"Amnesia drug." Star simplified as the Doctor snapped his fingers at her.

"Your pre-frontal cortex is marinating in it." The Doctor expanded, "Ooo, there's something else. Something. Er, not good. Weird." He fell silent and walked around the console picking up the cards Clara gave them.

"What's he doing?" Rigsy whispered to Clara.

"He's making an effort to be nice." She offered.

Star peered at the results on the monitor, quirking an eyebrows, "not that's there's a nice way to say you're about to die."

"What?" Rigsy cried.

The Doctor sighed, at least he tried! "Rigsy..."

"No, no, no, no, no." he shook his head, stepping back as the Doctor walked over to him, "Don't start using my actual name now. Call me Pudding Brain, call me Local Knowledge. Even puppy! Whatever. Just don't call me Rigsy. You're going to save me. You're a doctor. That's what you do."

The Doctor turned away. Thinking it over. It would be close to impossible. But since he wasn't dead yet they still had time to change it. They could try, "Ok. Ok. Yes, ok, let's do this thing. First up, stop the countdown. 526 minutes. Right. Ok. Yes, you know what, Local Knowledge, I don't know who did this to you or why. But I do almost certainly know how to find them."

~.~

"There have always been rumours," the Doctor mused as the group walked down the corridor of the Great British Library, "stories passed from traveller to traveller. Mutterings about hidden streets. Secret pockets of alien life right here on Earth. Like a smuggler's cove, only not a cove, because it's right here, right in the middle of the capital."

"The hidden places are in the Great British Library?" Rigsy raised an eyebrow at that.

"No. The maps are." He grinned as they entered the Map room, and began looking at old maps, "I never put stock in it. London streets that suddenly disappeared from human view? No. You lot are always overlooking things, but whole streets? That would be excessive, even for you. If the stories are true, though, there should be a street on one of these old maps that no longer exists in the real world."

"Like a trap street," Clara called, "only not."

"What did you say?" Star looked at her.

"A trap street. You know, when someone's making a map, a, er cartographer, uses a fake street, throws it into the mix, names it after one of his kids or whatever. Then if the fake street, the trap street, ever shows up on someone else's map, they know their work's been stolen. Clever, right?"

"Clara Oswald you are the cleverest human I know."

She beamed, "its why you love me so."

"My God." The Doctor shook his head, "A whole London street just up and disappeared and you lot assume it's a copyright infringement."

"So we're looking for a trap street?" Rigsy frowned.

"We're looking for a trap street and we're not going to find it here."

~.~

Clara was peering down at the city of London down below wearing the sonic glasses as she stared straight down from the open doorway, looking at the streets directly under them.

"The glasses are tracking your eye movements." The Doctor began explained as the others stood at the console, "Just keep looking straight down and…"

"I know!" she cut him off, "Focus on the buildings directly below me."

"Whatever they're using, it only hides the street itself. It prevents you from noticing there's even something missing. They're somehow making our eyes skate right over it. Let's call it a misdirection circuit."

"Clara!" Star gasped as the TARDIS jolted as Clara slid halfway out, Star running and grabbing hold of her ankles to stop her falling out.

Clara though, just laughed, cheering, "Hello, London!"

"For gods sake," Star grumbled, pulling the human back in.

"I'm good. I'm good."

"She enjoyed that way too much." Rigsy stared at her as he clung to the console. If Star hadn't caught her she could have falling out and gone splat on the ground below. There was only one way to survive going splat and that was immortality and even then you need luck on your side.

"Tell me about it." The Doctor muttered, "It's an ongoing problem. Here."

"I'm the reckless one," Star glared at Clara as the woman slowly sobered up, "you're the responsible one." It was beginning to irritate her how the woman was slowly but surely getting more and more reckless just by being with them. She was the reckless one, she couldn't have Clara copying her.

"Keep it steady." The Doctor instructed as he moved Rigsys hand onto the controls, "Just move it slowly over the grid. When we're done, we'll have a map of the areas of the grid that Clara couldn't focus on."

~.~

"So, these are the bits my eyes skated over." Clara pointed to the red marked areas of the map the TARDIS had printed out as they looked at it, standing in a large pedestrian area.

The Doctor nodded, "Okay, we split up. Clara, that way." He pointed left, "Local Knowledge." He pointed to the right, "and Star, that way," he pointed behind them, "Forget the way you usually look at the world. This street's going to be hiding in plain sight. If you see something unusual or notable, dismiss it. Just keep walking. But if there's a bit of London so unremarkable that you don't even think about it stop. You could very well be standing right outside a trap street. Count everything that you see. Because when you hit the area around a trap street, it's very likely you'll lose count. You'll lose count because the misdirection circuit is creating confusion in your mind. Details won't add up. Reality will have glitches in it. Like when you try to read the same simple sentence three times over. And the meaning just won't sink in."

~.~

Star walked down to the street corner where they had agreed to meet to see that the others were already there waiting for her.

The Doctor stared at her, "did you just go and get coffee?"

"Not just coffee!" she grinned, pulling out a paper bag, "a cinnamon roll!" she had started trying to find the street but then she had passed a local bakery and smelt cinnamon and coffee and had gotten distracted and gone to buy some when Clara had rung her and so she had to turn back. Ok, maybe she had a bit of a teeny tiny weakness.

"Anyway," Clara began, watching Star in amusement as she ate the snack, "It's off this street, I am certain."

"We're very close." He agreed, "We need to distract our other senses. Clara, go back to the TARDIS. Pick up all of Star's most annoying stuff."

"Wow!" she blinked, "why is my stuff the annoying stuff.?

"I'm going!" Clara quickly walked back in the direction of the TARDIS as Star narrowed her eyes at the Doctor. She did not want to hear that argument. And besides even she knew the Doctor had more annoying stuff. She'd get that.

~.~

"What happened to the stuff I asked you to bring?" the Doctor frowned as Clara returned empty handed other than Rigsys phone.

She ignored him and handed Rigsy his phone, "Someone called you. Yesterday, 6am. Blocked number."

As soon as he touched his phone he quickly dropped it, his eyes widening as he remembered what happened.

"What is it? What are you remembering?" the Doctor frowned at him.

Rigsy just moved slightly, staring at a brick wall.

"Rigsy?" Clara eyed him, "what is it?"

He pointed, "You can't see it? There!"

Where there had been two joined buildings was now a small cobbled alley.

"Interesting." Star mused.

"50 minutes left. Hoodie up, Local Knowledge." The Doctor warned him, "They know what you look like in there."

Rigsy nodded, pulling his hood over his head as they walked down the alley into a courtyard, the area lit by street lamps.

"How come I saw it when you guys couldn't?" Rigsy wondered.

"You were upset, weren't you?" the Doctor reasoned, "Something slipped through the retconned memory. Something that took over your whole mind. Something juicy. So the misdirection circuit lost its power over you."

"Surely people wander in here all the time, then, distracted, on their phones or whatever?" Clara frowned.

"Well, perhaps they do."

A golden light zigzagged through the cobbled and glued their feet to the ground as an alarm rung and two men came out of hiding to see the intruders.

"4 at once." One man, a tall looking man, remarked.

"That's new." The second, a dark man with glasses, agreed.

"Hang about." The first man sniffed the Doctor and Star, "These 2 don't smell human."

"Couldn't imagine why." Star remarked, sarcastically.

"Name, species and case for asylum." The dark man said, "Quick as you like."

"Asylum?" the Doctor frowned.

"The reason you're here. The reason you need sanctuary." He grabbed the other mans arm, "Why didn't they use the protocol?"

"I saw through the circuit again." Rigsy whispered, "I saw them. They're definitely not human."

"You do know this is a refugee camp?" the first man asked them.

"Of course." Star lifted her chin up.

"Of course, now that you've told them." A familiar young woman entered escorted by two police men.

The two men bowed, "Mayor Me."

"Me." Star greeted.

"Ashildr?" Clara stared at her.

"Who?" Ashildr blinked.

"That's your name." the Doctor rolled his eyes, "I keep telling you that."

"Do you? Infinite lifespan, finite memory. It makes for an awkward social life. You must be Clara Oswald. You're as beautiful as your photos."

"We met." Clara reminded her.

"Yes, I know. It's in my diaries. Oh, don't look like that. I enjoyed our conversations. I've read them many times."

"Ok, that's slightly odd, but nice. Er, hang on, so this is where you've been. That's why Star lost track of you."

"I didn't lose track," Star argued.

"Oh, come on, please. It's really cute she thinks I don't know. They've got this whole secret room in the TARDIS where they collect mentions of you. It was Stars idea."

"Clara," Star hissed.

"It's not cute. It's adorable." Ashildr corrected.

"I'm not adorable, I'm evil." Star pouted, crossing her arms.

"Yes, of course you are." The Doctor nodded, patting her on her shoulder, keeping her confidence up. As if Star could ever be evil, "It's professional interest."

"Precautionary measure."

"Still saving the world from us, then?"

"From you," she corrected, "and it's still here, isn't it?

"They lost track of you in the early 1800s." Clara informed her, "I wondered if you were…"

"Oh, no. I let them know I was okay."

"I saw you first!" Star grinned, thinking back to Clara selfies with Evie whatever-her-name-was who needed an interview with Churchill. She had been in the background, just outside the school gates.

The Doctor shook his head at her, "Now we need your help. Someone in this place is in control of a Quantum Shade." He gestured to Rigsy who lowered his hood.

"I knew I recognised that smell." One of them men sneered.

"Oh." Ashildr bit her lip, turning her back on them.

"Ashildr? What's going on?" Clara wondered.

She removed her scarf and turned back to face them show a large pendant around her neck and swirly tattoos around her neck and chest.

"You…" Star breathed, realising she had placed the lock on Rigsy.

"How do you know this man?" she demanded.

"Hang on. You did this to Rigsy?" Clara gaped at her.

"What have you done?" the Doctor ordered.

"This man committed a crime. I sentenced him." she replied.

"Sentenced him?" Clara repeated.

"I also gave him enough time to return home and say goodbye to his family."

"You flooded his brain with retcon!" the Doctor shouted at her, "Till we showed up, he didn't even know that he had to say goodbye."

"I'm afraid no intruder leaves this place without a memory wipe. With respect, that will include you."

"Oh, the hell it will." Both Clara and Star snapped. Neither happy with the idea of someone wiping their mind without permission, and they didn't give permission.

"Ashildr, given we're all going to forget this conversation anyway, perhaps you could tell us what happened here yesterday to necessitate a death sentence?" the Doctor asked her.

She nodded, "Fine, I'll show you. Mr Kabel, Mr Rump. Permit them entry."

"No. You've already endangered one of my friends. I want your personal guarantee that you will not endanger another."

"Shut up, I can handle myself." Clara hit him on the arm.

"I guarantee the safety of Clara Oswald. She will be under my personal protection. That is absolute. I doubt I need to say the same for Star."

"If that's your wish, Mayor Me." Mr Kabel bowed, stepping on a cobble and the light flashed, releasing them.

"This way." Ashildr led them off.

"Murderer." Mr Rump snarled at Rigsy.

"What did you say?" Clara narrowed her eyes at him.

"Murderer." Rigsy breathed as they walked off, "He called me a murderer."

"So, Me," Star began as she and the Doctor walked on either side of the woman, passing the aliens as they shopped at the local stalls, "you're a Major now?"

"Mayor is a title. I give myself a title for the same reason you do. Something to live up to."

"Difficult, isn't it?" the Doctor looked at her. "How long have you been here?"

"Since Waterloo."

"The battle?"

"No, the station." She deadpanned, "Really, Doctor. Tread carefully while you're here. Some of your greatest enemies are within a few feet of you. As far as you're concerned, this is the most dangerous street in London."

"I will only attack if they attack first," Star defended. And by that she meant if they looked at her so much in a way that she didn't like.

"Fascinating." Clara muttered, catching up with them, "Now, can we skip to the part where you want Rigsy dead for some reason?"

"It's him!" a woman cried further down the street, "He's back!"

Ashildr glanced to where a bulky man slowly raised from the table he was sat at, "It's best we get him inside first."

"Murderer." He yelled, "You're not welcome here."

"They look at me as if they want to kill me themselves." Rigsy breathed.

"Don't want your kind round here."

"Murderer!"

"You yell at him, and I'm your enemy!" Star snapped at them all, "and you're Major wouldn't like that, would you?" she glanced at her.

She smiled, gesturing the crowd to calm down, "Like I said, it's best we get inside."

"Wait, Clara. Look." Rigsy pointed down the alley to where a young man had been watching them, turned to leave revealing the head on the back.

Star tilted her head at a cage containing a single raven, she raised her hands up to stroke its beak. "This misdirection circuit of yours is remarkable." The Doctor admitted, "The cloaking device that hides the street, makes everyone look like humans."

"It's no device. It's the Lurkworms. Quite something, aren't they?" Ashildr nodded to the streetlamps that contain glowing worms instead of bulbs or flames. "The light is a telepathic field. It normalises everything you see, places it within the compass of your expectations, your experiences. You can bypass them, of course." She gestured to where a man was having his head bandaged by a woman before pinching their arms.

"Aiee ah!" the Doctor cried as Star pouted, rubbing her arm, looking where now a Cyberman was being tended by an Ood.

"Don't worry, we're perfectly safe." Ashildr assured them.

"Unless the Ood go red eyed." Star muttered, though she was more concerned about the Cybermen. Still hated them.

"Yes, a phrase I find is usually followed by a lot of screaming and running and bleeding." The Doctor agreed.

"I made a truce." Ashildr explained, "We have strict rules against violence here. Rules every creature must abide by if they wish to remain on the street." Further down the street more aliens were yelling to Risby, "What's better, that they're in here with me, peaceful and cooperative, or out there on Earth like the Zygons? We haven't had an act of violence on this street for a hundred years, until yesterday, when your friend here attacked one of our most vulnerable residents."

"How did Rigsy even get in?" Clara wondered as Ashildr led them inside one of the Elizabethan houses, "I mean, we barely managed it, and we knew what we were looking for."

"She was found at the entrance of the street." Ashildr sighed as she stood before the young black woman who was held in a statis chamber of some kind with a glow green light keeping her suspending in the chamber. "No weapon on the scene, but the cause of death is likely the head wound. Seems she was knocked to the cobblestones."

"Seems? You've sentenced Rigsy to death yet you don't know exactly what's going on?"

"He was found over the body. My people were angry, frightened. I had to act."

"This is ridiculous, this is…"

"What was her name?" Risby breathed, seeming to at least recognise the woman even if he couldn't remember actually killing her.

"Anah." Ashildr answered, "We're keeping her here until someone can take her home for burial.

"She's a Janus." The Doctor remarked, eying the chamber.

"She escaped slavery. She fled here with her child."

"Her daughter?" Star glanced at her.

"No, a boy."

"Is that bad?" Clara frowned at Star, trying to figure out why she was asking the gender of the child.

"Just unhelpful." She muttered, nodding to the back of Anahs head where there was another face, "A daughter might've seen who killed her mother."

"The female Janus is psychic." The Doctor explained, seeing Clara looking at him for an explanation, "One face sees into the future, the other looks behind her, into the past."

"I think we saw her son outside." Clara recalled, she had seen a young boy who looks similar to Anah.

"Clara, what if I did do it?" Rigsy hissed urgently, "I mean, I wouldn't have meant to hurt her, but, what if I wandered in and saw what she really looked like? What if I freaked?"

"You didn't just wander in here." The Doctor remarked, "You were called here at 6am by a number from a mystery phone."

"There is no way you did this." Clara assured him.

"Yeah, like you're capable of killing someone." Star scoffed.

"What's that supposed to me?" he frowned at her.

"I doubt you can hold even the littlest weapons let along succeed in killing someone, scared or not…"

"That's a compliment," Clara told him as he stared open mouth at the Time Lady.

"So, what then?" Ashildr cut in, "You think someone called him here? Set him up?"

"Yes!" Clara exclaimed as someone from outside called for Ashildr, "Obviously. Which means one of your pet aliens out there is the real killer."

"Major!" a man banged on the door, "I just need to talk to her."

"Excuse me. I'm sorry." Ashildr nodded to them and left to answer the door.

"Yes. Please, go." The Doctor mumbled, "It's not like we've got a ticking clock or anything."

"Mayor, I beg of you, please."

The Doctor check the countdown on Rigsys neck, "41 minutes."

The group stepped out onto the street behind Ashidlr to see her speaking to a gathered crowd, an old man and woman standing slightly parted from the group, closer to the major. "This man stole medical rations. He broke a rule of the street and he stole from all of you. And yes, I can remove the chronolock. But I won't. Our rules keep us safe."

"Give it to me." The woman next to the man pleaded and they saw that he had the chronolock on the back of his neck, "Please. Tell me I can have it. One word. Say it. Say yes."

The old man shook his head, "I did this to save you, you silly old thing. You really think I could lose you now?"

Ashildr inhaled, closing her eyes as the tattoo on her chest became a cloud of smoke and left her skin.

"What's happening?" Rigsy whispered.

"It's called a Quantum Shade." The Doctor explained as the Raven which Star had stroked turned to smoke and left its cage, "It's kind of a spirit. Once it's bound to a victim you could flee across all of time and all of the universe, it would still find you."

The old man hugged the woman as the Raven appeared on the stall nearby, cawing at the man who ran into a house despite Mr Kabels warning. There was no point in running as the Raven flew straight through the locked door going after the man.

"At least give him a merciful death." The Doctor peered down at Ashildr.

"Do you think a Cyberman fears a merciful death?" she countered. "Peace on this street depends on one thing. To break it in any way is to face the Raven." They could only watch in silence as the countdown reached zero and the raven flew into the man who screamed before falling to the ground. Dead. "I have no wish to harm your friend if he is innocent, Doctor. Question anyone. Examine the body. But it's not me you need to convince of Rigsy's innocence. It's them." She nodded to the parting crowd as they went back to their daily business and she left with her two police escorts.

The Doctor glanced at his watch and rubbed his neck. They were running out of time.

"We split up," Star decided, "that way we cover more ground."

Clara nodded along with her plan, "I'm good cop, you're both bad cops."

"No, no, no." The Doctor shook his head, "Can we not be the good cops?"

"Doctor, we've discussed this. Your face." They had done good cop, bad cop, before but the Doctor had tried to be good cop but because of his eyebrow and accent it didn't work out and Star was just naturally better at being a bad cop. She preferred it.

"Oh, yes. Well, forget about cops, right? Forget about finding the real killer. You heard Ashildr. All we have to do is persuade these creatures that it isn't Rigsy. And fast."

The Doctor and Star had walked off together while Clara went with Rigsy and had found Mr Rump outside what they assumed to be similar to a pub having a tankard of ale.

"Are you sure it wasn't someone from the street?" the Doctor inquired.

"I've told you already there wasn't anyone up that end of the street except Anah and the human." He rolled his eyes, taking a swig of his drink.

"I've identified 27 different species on this street so far, 15 of whom are known for aggression. Why is it so hard to believe that one of them is capable of murder?"

"Capable of murder, yeah. Capable of killing Anah? No."

"Why not?" Star frowned, "What's so special about her?"

He shrugged, muttering something that it was just who she was, the way she looked and you found yourself unable to kill her. They didn't believe his excuse.

"So you just want the human dead, is that it?" the Doctor raised his eyebrows.

"You don't get it, do you? If the human didn't do it, that means one of us did it, which means folks start pointing fingers, turning on each other. And once we turn on each other in here, that's it. I might as well be back in a war zone."

"So you'll just let Rigsy die?"

"To keep the peace? Yeah, I will."

They knew that was all they were going to get from him and so left him to finish his drink and walked off, questioning a few others until they found Mr Kabel who was very helpful indeed. Telling them how Risby had been scared and had asked for the Doctor. Star had quickly contacted Clara and Rigsy to meet them by the vegetable stall. Everything was beginning to make perfect sense.

The Doctor got straight to the point, speaking quickly, "Clara gave you my number for emergencies. So when you wake up with a weird tattoo on your neck and no memory of the last 24 hours, the first thing you do is call the Doctor."

"Call the Doctor?" Rigsy repeated.

"But you find yourself accused of murder on a strange alien street in the middle of London. Only they've taken your phone, so you beg the woman in charge to call me instead. She knew you and I were friends."

"So why'd she lie?" Star wondered, "Unless she had something to hide."

"There's something very wrong here and we're running out of time."

"How long?" Star looked at Rigsy only for Clara to answer instead.

"12 minutes. I'm not giving up yet."

"Look, Clara, even if one of them knows something, they're not going to come forward." Rigsy murmured, "The way they look at me." He shivered just at the thought of their glares. It was too horrible, they wanted him dead, innocent or not.

"The way they look at you?"

"What?" Star glanced at Clara, seeing her thinking about something but the woman was silent as she led them off down to a house where the boy, Anah's son was living. He opened it but quickly began to close it upon seeing who they were.

"Hey, wait. Everyone here is weird around us because of Rigsy. But not you. You look at the Doctor, Star and I like you're confused. Like you're curious."

"I don't know what you mean." The boy muttered.

"You do. You know Rigsy is innocent because you can look into his past and you can see it, can't you?"

He bit his lip before opening the door wider to allow them inside where the gathered in the main living room.

"Your mum," Clara began, "She dressed you as a boy to protect you, but really you're a girl. You have the gift."

"It is no gift. I'm safe as a boy. This is the first place I've ever been safe, and you want me to throw it away? To admit what I am?"

"What's the mayor planning?" Star asked.

"I can't see everything, but she thinks she's doing the right thing."

"They usually do." The Doctor mumbled, "If what Ashildr is doing is harmless, then we'll just walk out of that door. No one will know of your abilities. But if it's not…"

"I don't know what she means to do. No, I'm trying, but I can't see it. I can't see it because it involves you." Anah's daughter looked at him, "When I look at you, I can't tell your past from your future, and there's so very much of both."

"This isn't about Rigsy." The Doctor realised, "It's about me."

Anah's daughter closed her eyes and the face on the back of her head open it eyes, speaking slightly distorted, "She couldn't just ask you here. She needed a mystery. You can never resist a mystery. She's afraid."

Star blinked at that, "she's afraid?" the little immortal who had survived through everything, seen more than even she had seen. Was afraid of something. Wow. Must be terrifying. "of what? Who?"

"I can't see." The back face closed her eyes and the first face opened her, speaking again, "I'm sorry."

The Doctor placed his hands on her shoulders, "thank you."

"10 minutes?" Star checked, "we'd best hurry."

~.~

"Shut up!" Star yelled as they ran through the streets, passing the cawing Raven. When she said she was an animal lover she didn't mean animals that ended up killing people she liked. Well, she said liked, Rigsy was, well, she didn't really know. He was just someone she wouldn't want to die other than from her hands. "we still have 10 minutes left!"

"Ashildr said Anah was being taken home for burial." The Doctor commented, "But the Janus burn their dead."

"Is that true?" Rigsy glanced at the young Janus girl who nodded.

"So, look, Ashildr got it wrong." Clara defended weakly, "What does it matter? Come on!"

"There's something about this tech…" the Doctor muttered, eying the console.

"Look, Doctor, we don't have time,"

"What is it?" Anah's daughter inquired, seeing the Doctor frowning at the screen as it turned on.

"It looks like medical data."

"But it can't be. She's dead. She isn't breathing."

"It's a stasis pod?" Star frowned.

And the Doctor nodded, explaining to the others, "If you're dead, it's a kind of fancy refrigerator. But if you're alive." He turned the speakers on and they could hear Anah's heartbeat, "simply keeps you that way."

The young Janus sighed in relief, "She's alive?"

"She's alive." Star smiled. No girl, no matter how old should be without her mother if there was a chance of saving her.

"Well, get her out! Get her out of there!"

"There must be a way to unlock it." The Doctor reasoned, "Something basic, something simple that I'm missing."

"Like a key," Star pointed to the small keyhole on the side, tapping it to show them it.

"I'll find her." the girl volunteered, "I'll get the key."

"No, Anahson, stay here." The Doctor shook his head, there was a reason Star had spotted the keyhole and a reason it was so obvious, "There's a reason that the Mayor has gone AWOL. She means for us to release your mother, but she doesn't want us to use her key. She wants to use mine." He pulled out his TARDIS key.

"The TARDIS?" Clara frowned, "that's what all this is about?"

"Why's in there only one keyhole?" Star shook her head, "three of us have keys?" Ashildr may not know that Clara had a key but she knew Star did, so why did she just want the Doctors? What was she so afraid of?

"Doctor, wait!" Clara called as the man slid the key into the hole.

"This girl needs her mother." He determined, fitting the key into the hole only for his wrist to get pulled in, "Ah! I can't…"

"What's it doing?" Clara cried.

The Doctor pulled his arm free, the static chamber switching off, allowing Anah to breathe as Anahson and Rigsy caught her as she fell while the Doctor examined the steel bracelet now clasped to his arm.

"Mum!" Anahson cried, "Mum, are you ok?"

"She'll be perfectly fine in a few moments. I assure you." Ashidlr remarked as she entered the room.

"There are easier ways to steal a key, you know." The Doctor looked at her.

"And why just his?" Star added.

"I don't want your TARDIS. That's not what this is about. Rigsy, come here, I'll remove your chronolock."

"What is this, Ashildr?" the Doctor demanded, "You can't possibly think this is going to keep me here."

"It's not a restraint. It's a teleport bracelet. I'll give you time to say goodbye, don't worry. No one will be hurt."

"Where are you sending me?"

"I made a deal to protect the street. They take you, I take the key so you can't be traced. I do as they tell me, and the street is safe."

"Who's they?" Star pressed.

Ashidlr didn't answer, merely held her hand out to the Doctor, "One more thing. Your confession dial. They have other means of procuring it, but I understand it's likely to be on your person. Please, no resistance. You've already lost." Slowly, the Doctor pulled the golden disc out of his pocket and tossed it to Ashildr who caught it, "What is it?"

"In your terms, my last will and testament."

"How does it work?"

"I've no idea."

"Well, thank you anyway." She set it on the mantelpiece behind her, "Rigsy, your neck."

The boy shook his head, "Clara, what are you playing at? The chronolock!"

"Take the teleport off him first." Clara instructed.

Ashidlr just rolled her eyes as reached for Rigsy's neck but he stepped away, "I don't have it, I'm telling you. Clara does."

Clara lifted up her hair to show it was now on the back of her neck. The atmosphere in the room changed immediately.

"No. No, you didn't." Ashidlr breathed.

"Go on, then. Take it off."

"You didn't," Star whispered, shaking her head, not believing it. It had to be a trick, a cruel trick. Clara, was an idiot but she wasn't that stupid. "please…"

"Clara," the Doctor spun her around to see that lock on her neck, nearing its end.

Ashidlr turned away from the group, "I had no idea she'd do something so stupid. I swear, I never meant for anyone to get hurt. Look, what were you thinking? Sacrificing yourself?"

"I wasn't sacrificing anything." She defended, "It was strategy. Backup plan, to buy us more time."

"Who made you do it?" Star yelled, "tell me who!"

"Nobody did. I did. Rump said…"

"What exactly did Rump say?" the Doctor demanded, clinging to the back of Stars jacket in case she decided to run off and find Rump, demanding answers herself.

"He said the death is locked in. You can pass it on, but you…" she swallowed as she realised her mistake, her stupid human mistake, "but…"

"But you can't cheat it altogether." Ashildr finished quietly.

"Clara, you didn't tell me that." Rigsy stared at her, eyes wide, "Give it back to me, now."

"She can't. Clara, I made a contract with the Shade when I put the chronolock on Rigsy. I promised it a soul and only I can break that contract. When you took it from him, you changed the terms. You cut me out of the deal."

"We can fix this, can't we?" Clara asked, "We always fix it."

Star hung her head, staring at the floor, blinking rapidly, unable to form any words. This was…she had promised, promised multiple times that she wasn't let any harm come to Clara and now…and now there was no way out.

"Can it still be passed on?" Star finally asked.

"Yes." Ashildr swallowed.

"No!" Clara exclaimed, stepping back from Star, "Absolutely not! This was my mistake!" There was no way she was going to let Star take it.

"You'll die otherwise!" Star yelled.

"And you won't! I'm not going to let you die for my silly mistake!"

"No." the Doctor murmured before turning and glaring at Ashidlr, "Fix this. Fix it now."

"It, it's not possible. I can't." she insisted.

"If you don't," Star slowly turned her head up to glare at her, "then I'll personal see that this street goes up in flames! I will personally destroy it myself! So you'd better think of something or everything you ever cared about is gone."

"You will save Clara, and you will do it now," the Doctor agreed, "or I will rain hell on you for the rest of time."

"Stop it, both of you!" Clara snapped, "stop talking like that."

"You can't…" Ashidlr whispered.

"I can do whatever the hell I like!" he yelled, "You've read the stories. You know who I am. And in all of that time, did you ever hear anything about anyone who stopped me?"

"I know the Doctor. The Doctor would never…" she swallowed thickly, trying not to show her fear, because, yes, she had read the stories, "Star wouldn't allow it."

"I'd end you myself." Star threatened.

"The Doctor is no longer here! You are stuck with me. And I will end you, and everything you love."

"For God's sake, will you both stop?" Clara shouted. "I did this, do you hear me? I did this. This is my fault."

"I don't care." Star sneered.

"Liar. The pair of you always care. Always have. Your reign of terror will end with the sight of the first crying child and you know it."

"No, I don't." the Doctor glared.

"I do. Listen, if this is the last I ever see of you, please, not like this. Is there anything you can do?" she glanced back at Ashildr.

"I'm sorry." She shook her head, "I'm truly sorry, I…"

"Time's short. Yes or no?"

"No."

"Well, if Danny Pink can do it, so can I."

"Do what?" the Doctor frowned at her, his anger morphing into confusion.

"Die right. Die like I mean it. Face the Raven."

"No. This, this isn't happening. This can't be happening."

"Maybe this is what I wanted. Maybe this is it. Maybe this is why I kept running. Maybe this is why I kept taking all those stupid risks. Kept pushing it."

"This is my fault."

"This is my choice."

"I let you get reckless."

"Why? Why shouldn't I be so reckless? You're reckless all the bloody time. Why can't I be like you?"

"Because you…" Star began.

But Clara cut her off, "because I'm human." Star rolled her eyes knowing that was exactly what Star was going to say, "That's not an excuse. We all know that I have changed too much to be classed as human anymore."

While genetically she was still human, and always would be, mentally she was nowhere near the sort. She had changed, changed too much, they were right. She had gotten reckless, gotten braver and had slowly but surely become the Doctor herself in a way.

"Clara, there's nothing special about me. I am nothing, but I'm less breakable than you. I should have taken care of you."

"I never asked you to."

"You shouldn't have to ask."

"Don't." she cut him off, "Shut up."

"But I..."

"Really, Rigsy, shut up. If you feel guilty about this, even for one minute, I…" she fell silent as they heard the Raven cawing, letting the street know it was coming for Clara.

"You." She pulled the Doctor to the side, "Now, you listen to me. You're going to be alone with Star, and you're very bad at that. You're going to be furious and you're going to be sad, and I don't think Star will talk you out of it, but listen to me. Don't let this change you. No, listen. Whatever happens next, wherever she is sending you, I know what you're capable of. You don't be a Warrior. Promise me. Be a Doctor."

"What's the point of being a Doctor if I can't cure you?" he murmured.

"Heal yourself. You have to. You can't let this turn you into a monster. So, I'm not asking you for a promise, I'm giving you an order. You will not insult my memory. There will be no revenge. I will die, and no one else, here or anywhere, will suffer."

"What about me?"

"If there was something I could do about that, I would. I guess we're both just going to have to be brave."

"Clara." He began as they hugged.

"Everything you are about to say, I already know. Don't do it now. We've already had enough bad timing." She smiled as she pulled Star off to the side for a bit more girl-to-girl privacy, "this isn't your fault, ok? You are so much better than what anyone has ever said. Don't let anyone EVER say you're not good enough."

"I didn't mean for you to die." She murmured, avoiding eye contact with any one.

"This is no ones fault but my own. Don't do anything stupid. Don't try to avenge me just...remember me. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Like take a chronolock and get yourself killed?" She asked causing a small smirk to appear on Clara's lips, "no harm will come to anyone by my hands." she swore, looking up to meet Clara's gaze. she was genuine, she'd do no harm to avenge Clara's death.

"Don't run." The Doctor pleaded to her, "Stay with me."

"Nah. You stay here. In the end, everybody does this alone."

"Clara…"

"This is as brave as I know how to be. I know it's going to hurt you, but, please, be a little proud of me." She smiled, placing her hand to his cheek which he took and kissed. "Goodbye, Doctor. Cya, Star." She nodded, stepping out onto the now deserted street as the Raven perched itself on a nearby stall. The Doctor stood at the doorway with Star peering at his side.

She glanced at it as she walked out into the street, whispering to herself, "Let me be brave. Let me be brave." She held her arms out wide as the Raven flew into her stomach as her mouth opened to scream, but it wasn't heard, drowned out by Stars own.

~.~

The Doctor had eventually managed to calm Star down and they both entered, Star clinging to his arms with shaking legs, but other than that she showed no other signs of having just cried her eyes dry.

"I'm sorry, Doctor." Ashildr spoke quietly, remorseful, "I truly am." She stepped to the control panel, pressing a button to activate the Doctors teleport.

"What Clara said about not taking revenge. Do you know why she said that?" the Doctor hardly looked at her as he spoke.

"She was saving you."

"I was lost a long time ago. She was saving you. I'll do my best, but I strongly advise you to keep out of my way. You'll find that it's a very small universe when I'm angry with you." And in a beam of purple and white light he slowly faded away.

The teleport fell to the floor with a clang, echoing around the silent room.

Star closed her eyes. No harm by her hands she had promised. A promise she would keep. But whoever Ashildr was working with, whoever led them here, to this street, the Clara's death.

They would pay.

 **This was such a tough chapter to write. Clara was by far my favourite companion. Just a warning, I will be skipping Heaven Sent as Star isn't in that episode so the next chapter will go straight to Hell Bent and the Time Lord :)**


	11. Hell bent

"You know," Star began, sneaking into the council chamber in the Citadel and taking a seat at the large oval table, putting her feet up, crossing her ankles as she leaned back, utterly calm despite being back on Gallifrey. The one place she hated in the universe. But Ashildr had made a deal with the Time Lords to keep her street safe, they were the reason she had called them to Trap Street, to get the Doctors Confession Dial and give it to Lord Rassilon as a way of trapping the man in his own hell just so they could get the truth about the hybrid prophecy. "They'll be hell to pay now."

A few council members jumped at her sudden appearance but Rassilon just sneered at her, he had regenerated since the Naismith Mansion, now an old, balding man, "welcome home, lady Star."

"its good to be back," she lied. "oh, and I never thanked you for the regeneration energy, did I?" she smirked at him as he glared at her, "just think if you never gave me them earlier than allowed I would have died years ago!" she gasped mockingly, "doesn't that mean that mean that you also helped stop the Time War? You know, if you let me die without any regenerations, then I never would have destroyed the Moment, which means you lot would still be in hell. You're ever so welcome!"

"Lord President?" Rassilon glanced over as the General entered the room. He swallowed as he spotted Star, the girl winking at him, knowing why he was keeping away from her. She did tell him just how they saved Gallifrey, he knew she destroyed the Moment with her mind. He had all the right to be afraid of her.

"Are all the bells ringing?" he asked, "The whole cloister?"

The General nodded, speaking into his wrist communicator, "What's going on down there?"

"On my way down to the Matrix now, sir." A man responded.

"Keep the perimeter. It's ok to be afraid down there, soldier."

"Sliders are everywhere, sir. Loads of the things."

"Language, please. I'm with the President." Star cleared her throat, looking at him expectantly, "and…her."

The man in the Cloister didn't even need to ask who 'her' was, the whole planet knew Star had come home, knew the Doctor had gotten out of his Confession Dial, "Sorry, sir. The Cloister Wraiths are active."

"Do not approach them." The General warned, "Don't even enter the Cloister. Just tell me are all the bells ringing?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then we are facing great danger." Rassilon remarked.

"The Cloister Wraiths seem to think so." The General agreed.

"So, where is he?" Rassilon demanded, "Where has the Doctor gone?"

"I know." Star sang, well, she could guess. But she was certain she was correct.

"Back to the beginning," Ohila of the Sisterhood of Karn entered with two of the other sisters, "I should think."

"The Sisterhood of Karn has no business in this chamber, or on this planet." Rassilon glared.

"I heard the Doctor had come home. One so loves fireworks."

"I've brought popcorn," Star smirked, setting a bag on the table, along with a cup of coffee.

Rassilon glared at them before focusing his attention on Star, "where is he?"

She blinked up at him as he aimed his gauntlet at her. "Is that supposed to be a threat?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Where?"

She smirked at him.

She was enjoying this.

~.~

Star clicked her tongue as she sat with her feet still on the table, sipping her coffee as she, Ohila, Rassilon and the General watched via a holographic screen as Gastron took a ship to get the Doctor to come to the capitol. They could see the Doctor sitting at the table before the barn with a crowd of outsider Gallifreyans as the man had a bowl of soup set before him.

"Attention!" Gastron shouted down to them all, "Will all non-military personnel step away from the Doctor." Not a single person moved, "I repeat. All non-military personnel, please, step away from the Doctor." Still no one moved, "At least move the children away! Doctor. You will lay down any weapons on your person and accompany us to the capital. Your daughter is waiting for you."

Star snorted as the Doctor dropped his spoon on the table as he stood up, the locals parting to allow him through, "Doctor, you will accompany us to the Capitol." But the Doctor merely dug his heel in the sand, drawing a line before sitting back at the table, "Doctor? Come back. You will come back immediately. Your daughter…" he was cut off as the locals applauded the Doctor, "That is an order and this is a military vehicle."

"What's his plan?" Rassilon spun Star to face him.

"He's finishing his soup." She told him honestly, "and if you'd like to let me go, I'd like to finish my coffee before it gets cold and I pour it over your head!"

"Suggestion, sir." The General cut in, "We could talk to him."

"Words are his weapons." Rassilon hissed.

"Be afraid when he is silent then," Star folded her arms. Mockingly adding, "my lord."

~.~

Star tapped her foot impatiently as she was forced to go with Gastron and the General along with a group of other soldiers. She did a small rhythmic knock on the door of the barn, knowing the Doctor would know it was her and would therefore answer it. She smiled as he did so.

"Welcome home, sir." The General bowed his head to the Doctor, "As commander of the armed forces of Gallifrey, I bring you the greetings of the High Council."

Star just slammed the door on them, she had quickly grown tired of being on the council. She never wanted to join the council when she was young and still didn't now she was all grown up.

"Who the hell does he think he is?" Rassilon demanded on the comm.

"The man who won the Time War, sir." The General replied. Well, sort of, without Star he doubted the Doctor would have even thought of another way other than Time Locking the planet away. So really, they both ended it.

The Doctor opened the door as again, this time the whole group bowing. He slammed the door on them before sighing and rubbing his head.

"How long?" Star asked him.

"Doesn't matter." He waved her off, heading up the ladder at the end of the barn, laying on the bed, fiddling with his Confession Dial.

Star followed him, leaning on one of the poles, arms crossed, "that's not a good enough answer."

"How did you get here?"

"I'll tell you if you tell me afterwards."

He sighed, "Fine."

"Missy, of course."

He rolled his eyes at that, of course Missy would have told her how to get back to Gallifrey. especially if to mess with the Time Lords. "Did she give you the coordinates in the cargo hold?"  
"Hmmm."

He held his tongue, that meant that when Missy lied in the graveyard she had known from the start, known they wouldnt have found it when they went looking, and never said, "Ever going to tell me what happened?"  
"Now!?" she hissed, "really, now?"

"4 1/2 billion years."

She stormed back outside at that to see Rassilon had arrived, she walked right up to him, slapping him hard around the face. Clara would have been so proud. She would have punched him, but she only punched Missy, she could have stabbed him but hearing her hand meet his cheek was just so satisfying. She stepped back to the line the Doctor had drew, where he stood next to her, tossing his confession dial to the man's feet. "Get off our planet," Star narrowed her eyes at the man.

"We needed to know." He defended, "you have information about the Hybrid. A danger to all of us. If you'd told us what you knew, you could have walked out of there."

"Get off our planet." The Doctor repeated.

"You have nothing, Doctor. Nothing! Do you know what I have, out here in the Dry Lands, where there's nobody who matters? No witnesses."

The Doctor glared at him for that, "They matter to us."

"Take aim! Aim at them both." Rassilon ordered, "Fire on my command."

The soldiers hesitated, "sir?" the General glanced at him.

"Step forward and take aim! What's the matter with you?"

"Lord President, they're a war heroes. Some of these men served with him. Lady…"

"These men serve me! All of you! On my command." The soldiers raised their weapons, "Fire!"

Star stood watching as everyone single person, all 9 of them missed them, hitting the door behind them, she looked at them in concern, "are you seriously the best Gallifrey's got? I can do better than that with my eyes closed."

"You missed." Rassilon rounded on his men, "All of you. Every single one of you! How is that possible? What is it? Is the firing squad afraid of the unarmed man?" he grabbed Gastron by the scruff of his neck, "You, explain."

"There was a saying, sir, in the Time War."

"A saying?"

"The first thing you will notice about the Doctor of War is he's unarmed. For many, it's also the last."

"But she isn't!" he argued, pointing at Star.

"Star always makes the first move." Gastron dropped his rifle and cross the line to stand next to the pair, "I was at Skull Moon, sir. Ma'am."

Four more soldiers followed Gastron, dropping their weapons and crossing the line, "Not one more of you moves!" Rassilon yelled, "That is an order!" two more crossed, "A direct order of your President! You leave me no choice." He aimed his gauntlet at the Doctor, "How many regenerations did we grant you? I've got all night." He looked up at four ships arrived, "Excellent, General. You sent for reinforcements."

"Actually, I did." Star corrected as the remainder of the soldiers crossed the line.

"What? I am Rassilon the redeemer! Rassilon, the resurrected! Gallifrey is mine!" he yelled.

"Lord President," the General stood between Rassilon and the Doctor, "with respect, get off their planet."

~.~

The Doctor, Star and the General stood on the balcony just off the council chamber watching as a shuttle took off into the outlands.

"Gallifrey is currently positioned at the extreme end of the time continuum," the General explained to them, "for its own protection. We're at the end of the universe, give or take a star system."

"I know." He Doctor nodded, "I came the long way round."

"The President may not find anywhere to go."

"He's not the President anymore." Star shook her head.

"He was a good man once. Isn't this going a little far?"

"I have many more tricks up my sleeve, General." She lifted his chin with her fingers, "I hardly think you'd want to see most of them."

"Oh, we've barely started." The Doctor agreed, "Tell the High Council they're on the next shuttle."

"I don't like being president." Star huffed.

"You're not the president." The General informed her.

She glared at him when the Doctor rolled his eyes, "you don't even want to president."

"It'll be nice to be asked!" she pouted. No one ever asked her if she wanted presidency or not. She would make a great president. She just didn't want the job. Ever since she was young she always said it didnt want a job, wanted to travel, she got what she wanted, just not how she wanted it. but still; jobs...Boring!

~.~

Star sat in a chair at the top of the table as the Doctor sat next to her, Ohila, at the other end, watching them both carefully.

"If you wanted to know about the Hybrid, why didn't you just ask me?" the Doctor frowned as the General stood before them.

"If the Hybrid is a threat to the people of this world, why don't you just tell us?" he countered, finally taking a seat opposite the Doctor.

"What do you know already?"

They paused as the large double doors opened and a young dark-skinned girl with short curly dark hair hesitantly stepped in, looking rather uncomfortable.

"Yes?" the General snapped at the interrupting girl. Did she not know they had important business to attention to?

"I'm sorry to intrude…but I just came to see if the rumours were true," she turned her gaze to Star, locking her dark green with her icy blue, "I see now that they are." She bowed her head slightly, "I'm sorry, my lord." She turned to leave when a loud creaking of the large chairs was pushed back.

The Doctor glanced at Star as the girl stood up, eyes wide as she stared at the girl in disbelief. He raised an eyebrow at her, watching as she slowly walked to the girl who had stopped at hearing the chair moving.

"Kika," she breathed, not wanting to believe that her first friend, her best friend was alive, standing directly before her, as pretty as she had always been.

"Nova," she returned with a short nod.

"Hello again."

The Doctor cleared his throat and both girls suddenly remembered they weren't alone.

"Sorry," Kikashe shook her head, suddenly remember she was interrupting, "I'll just…"

"Stay."

She looked at Star for that.

"We need a decent person in this conversation," she leaned closer, whispering in the girls ear, "the General is an idiot in this regeneration." She led the girl to the chair as the top table, letting her sit in it as Star sat on the table between her and the Doctor, the man eying her in bemusement.

' _Not a word._ ' She muttered.

She turned to the General, "continue."

He shook his head at her, remembering what they were discussing before the rude interruption, "The Hybrid is a legendary…"

"No." the Doctor shook his head.

"The Hybrid is a creature thought to be crossbred from two warrior races."

"Which races?"

"The Daleks and the Time Lords, it is supposed."

Star snorted, "Daleks would never allow themselves to become a hybrid. They hate anything un pure." For gods sake they had killed their own kind just because the new rainbow Daleks didn't think the others were pure enough.

"It's unstoppable." The General continued, "According to the stories."

"If they're just stories, why are you so worried?" the Doctor asked.

"Some Matrix prophecies suggest…"

"No."

"Many prophesies suggest…"

"No." this time Star shook her head. Prophesies this, prophesies that. She hated them. Telling you what you can and can't do.

The General huffed, getting irritated with the pair by the passing minutes, "All Matrix prophecies concur that this creature will one day stand in the ruins of Gallifrey. It will unravel the Web of Time and destroy a billion billion hearts to heal its own."

"What colour is it?"

Kikashe gave a small laugh at that. That was the Nova she knew in the Academy, asking the most random questions.

The General stared at Star, glancing at the Doctor. Surely she was joking? But the man was also waiting for an answer, "I don't know."

"Prophecies," the Doctor sighed, "they never tell you anything useful, do they?"

"So boring," Star agreed, "saying what you can and can't do. Trying to control your life."

"This is no time to play the fool." Ohila spoke.

"It's the end of the universe. It's the only time I've got." The Doctor argued, "And you want me to keep you all safe."

"Can you?" the General inquired.

"I'll need help, obviously."

"Gallifrey is at your command."

"Oh, not from you lot. No, you'd cramp our style. Look at your hats. I'm going to need the use of an extraction chamber, to talk to an old friend."

"No!" Star called as the man stood up to leave.

"No what?" he frowned at her.

"You can't just bring Clara back. The woman chose to die. She had a decent death that's the best she could have. "

"I just want to speak with her." he swore.

Star huffed as she watched him walked off. The General quickly stalking after him.

Kikashe walked to stand next to her as Star stared, no glared after the men.

Bloody idiots, all of them. All of them stubborn with too big of an ego.

"It's good to see you," she told the Star.

"Oh! I have missed you!" Star grinned, hugging her closer.

She buried her face in the girls neck, closing her eyes. oh, she really had missed Kikashe. No one knew her as much as she did. She stepped back suddenly, "hi..." she breathed, "Hi..."

"You should probably go." she suggested.

"Right! Yes! Idiot doing idiotic stuff. come on!" she took her hand and pulled her off after the men.

~.~

"Doctor?" Clara frowned as she stepped from Trap Street and into the Extraction Chamber, looking around the white room in confusion as she saw two operatives dressed all in white and Star crossing her arms, lips pursed as she stood next to Marcella, the girl looking uncomfortable just being in the room as they stood near the General, "Where am I? Is this the TARDIS?

"No. This is a planet." The Doctor corrected, holding the woman tightly. He didn't care that he wasn't a hugger, he was one to his family. And Clara was definitely family, human or not.

"What planet?"

"Basically, our place."

"I was about to die. I should be dead."

"Forget about that. It doesn't matter."

"Hang on, your place? What do you mean, your place?"

"Welcome to Gallifrey, Oswald." Star smiled, hugging the woman tightly. She wasn't going to lie, she had missed the woman terribly, it had taken all of her might to not get her revenge, but Clara had asked them not to and she respected her last wishes.

"No!" her eyes widened as she eyed Marcella, yup, dreadful hats, "hang on, wait. What? What? Did I miss something?"

"Well, we're several billion years in the future and the universe is pretty much over," the Doctor told her, "so, yeah, quite a lot."

"Young lady," the General shot a look at Star who glared and so he bowed his head to the human, "Miss Oswald, I'm afraid we only have a very few minutes with you."

"Who's he?" Clara whispered.

"According to the Doctor, you can tell us something about the creature known as the Hybrid."

"Oh. Oh, that's weird. What's wrong with my ears?"

"Nothing." The Doctor quickly assured her.

"Oh, it's weird. Everything sounds wrong."

"It's a side effect."

"I can hear you. I can hear you fine. It's like, I don't know, it's like, er. It's like something's missing."

"Your heartbeat." Star told her honestly, "you're missing your heartbeat. "

"Your physical processes have been time looped." The Doctor explained to her, "Frozen between one heartbeat and the next. Even your breathing is just a habit. You don't need it."

"If I'm frozen, how can I, how can I be walking about?" she shook her head.

"Because the Time Lords are very clever. It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it matters to me!"

"Star, you have to tell her," Marcella placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Star," Clara looked at the girl for that, knowing she would get more of an answer than the Doctor, "tell me; what is going on?"

"You died," Star told her, holding her chin up high, she couldn't show weakness in front of the Time Lords, she wouldn't. She had a reputation. "billions of years ago now."

Clara just stared.

"We have extracted you at the very end of your time stream to request your help." The General explained to her, "Once we're finished here, you will be returned to your final moments. Your death is an established historical event and cannot be altered. I'm sorry."

"Doctor," Clara looked at him as he avoided her eyes, "will you just talk to me!"

Finally the Doctor looked at her, "I'll try not to break your jaw."

She frowned at him, "My jaw?"

"I wasn't talking to you." He spun and punched the man in the jaw, knocking him down and grabbed his gun, aiming it at him. Clara gasped while Star barely battered an eyelash.

"Doctor, you can't do this." The man warned as he got back to his feet, "You know you can't."

"No, General, I don't know that. Everybody, stay exactly where you are! No moving about. On pain of death, no-one take a selfie!"

"These people are unarmed."

"So are you."

"Doctor, I will not let you leave here. That's the sidearm of the President's personal security. There isn't a stun setting."

"I will not let Clara die." He stated firmly.

"For crying out loud!" Star snapped at him, "She has been dead for billions of years. People die, mourn them, move on, don't let them die in vain!"

"If you tried to change miss Oswald's death," Marcella began slowly, eying the Doctor as he held the gun at the General, not backing down, "you could fracture Time itself. You cant take that risk," the Doctor just cocked the gun.

Star glared at him, her hand held out, "Give. Me. The. Gun."

"No." he argued.

"Doctor. Please," Clara tried to plead with him, despite knowing it was useless, if Star couldn't get the gun from him, no one could, "I don't want this. Put it down, please."

"Regeneration?"

"10th." The General said.

"Good luck."

"You too, sir."

"GIVE ME THE GUN!" Star barked, going so far as to startle the Doctor that he looked at her in surprise and handed it over. "thank you."

"Thank you, Star." The General nodded to her. She had just saved him the problem of dying.

"Do you really think that because I took the gun from 're not gonna die? Seriously? I'm on the verge of being a psychopath," she leaned closer, smirking, "I'm doing you a favour." She shot him in the chest, making him fall to the ground.

"Star!" Marcella gasped. Not in surprise, she knew Star was capable of killing, it was just…different to see her looking disappointed that the General thought he wasn't going to regenerate because she took the gun. How much they have changed.

"I want a neural block." The Doctor told the closest technician, "Human compatible. Quickly! Come on!" the man quickly passed him a small device decorated with 3 linked circles. "Come on, quick!" he grabbed Clara hand and pulled her out of the room before the energy surrounded the General.

Star took Marcella wrist and swirled her around, "don't follow me!" she sang as they ran off.

"You killed that man!" Clara cried, "You shot him! He's dead!"

"I was surprisingly telling the truth when I said I was doing him a favour!" Star defended.

"When you die, you stay dead." The Doctor countered.

"So does he!" Clara shouted.

"We're on Gallifrey. Death is Time Lord for man flu."

"And unlike him," Star jerked her head to the Doctor, "most don't walk into trees or steal clothes from the homeless." The Doctor huffed at that as they ran into the lift leading into the Cloisters.

Clara shook her head, knowing Star didn't care about anyone she killed and the Doctor defended her from that man, "I thought you said Gallifrey was frozen in another dimension?"

"Well, they must have unfrozen it and come back." The Doctor shrugged her off.

"How?"

"Do not ask," Star looked at her, serious. She made that mistake, she'd never regret that.

"Why?"

"It makes them feel clever." She tossed the gun aside, "can't kill anyone else without a weapon."

Clara gave her an unamused look, "you have a dagger."

"That is true but Mars isn't here to be impressed by me."

"Mars?" she frowned. "The girl you near enough danced with back there?"

"Pretty little thing isn't she?"

She stared at Star before frowning and looking at the Doctor, "Neural block? Human compatible?"

"Never mind," he waved her off, "this way."

Star walked ahead by a few steps, keeping her eyes open for any troubles in the Cloisters, her ears perked up hearing the screeches and other noises down there.

"The Cloister Wraiths." The Doctor told Clara as they walked, "Sliders, we used to call them. They guard the Matrix. We're safe in here."

"Why?"

"They only attack if you make any attempt to leave."

"How long are we planning to stay?"

"Or, actually, if you try to stay."

Star glanced back, eyebrows raised, "You realise how well that conversation went, right?"

"Starting to, yeah, a bit." He rubbed the back of his neck, his words reaching his brain.

She nodded, "you do realise that they will try to trap all exits?"

"This way, I'm fairly sure. According to the stories, there's a secret way out. If you find it, the Sliders let you go."

"Exterminate!" before them chained up with liquid running down from is eyestalk was an old battered Dalek.

"It's ok. It's ok, look at it."

"Exterminate...me."

"Is it trapped?" Clara breathed.

"Don't worry, it's been neutralised." The Doctor assured her, "Those aren't vines. In your terms, they're fibre-optic cables, they're alive and growing. We're inside the biggest database in history. Sometimes, people are stupid enough to break in."

"And?"

"It's a database. They get filed. Probably a leftover from the Cloister Wars. There's nothing we can do. Come on."

"Exterminate me." The Dalek called pleadingly as they walked off, "Exterminate me."

As they walked further along they separated slightly amongst their enemies where Clara found a Weeping Angel and she past it vanished appearing before her with another joining it, she slips past knowing they couldn't hurt her…only to get grabbed by a Cyber arm.

"Keep away from them!" Star sneered, pulling the woman free.

"The Matrix can use them as a defence. It means the secret exit must be close." The Doctor mused.

"What's to defend in a crypt?"

"It's not just a crypt. More like a stone circuit board. This is the Matrix database." He gestured to the area with a glowing circular pattern on the floor.

"Database?" she frowned, as they stopped in a clear area, "What do you mean, database?"

"Meaning that you're standing on the primary service hatch." Star nodded down at where the woman was standing

"Oh."

The Doctor grinned, nudging Clara to the side as he shifted the dirt with his boot, "Just have to work out the key. "When Time Lords die, their minds are uploaded to a thing called the Matrix. This structure, it's like a living computer. It can predict the future, generate prophecies out of algorithms, ring the Cloister bells in the event of impending catastrophe. The Sliders, they're just like the guard dogs, the firewall. Projections from inside the Matrix itself. The dead, manning the battlements."

"Was I supposed to understand any of that?" Clara blinked.

"The Time Lords have got a big computer made of ghosts, in a crypt, guarded by more ghosts."

"Didn't hurt, did it?"

"Tiny bit." He admitted, getting down on his hands and knees, running his fingers over the curved grooves.

"Why would a computer need to protect itself from the people who made it?" Clara shook her head, confused at that.

"All computers do that in the end. You wait until the internet starts. Oh, that was a war!"

"According to the stories from the Academy there was kid, before I was even born, he got in here, disappeared for 4 days." Star explained, "Showed up in a completely different part of the city. Said the Sliders talked to him, they showed him the secret passage out."

The Doctor nodded, he had heard of that story as well, "all we need is the code."

Clara frowned as the Doctor pulled out his notebook, "and you know it? The kid told you?"

"Ah, no, he didn't tell anyone anything. He went completely mad. Never right in the head again, so they say."

"Ok, that's encouraging."

"The last I heard, he stole the moon and the President's wife."

Clara blinked at that, recalling what Missy had said to her, "Was she nice?" she smirked, "at the time, the President's wife?"

"Ah, well, that was a lie put about by the Shabogans. It was the President's daughter. I didn't steal the moon, I lost it…" he trailed off, realising what he had said.

"Busted!"

"I'd know you anywhere." Clara shook her head fondly.

"I was a completely different person in those days." He defended, "Eccentric, a bit mad, rude to people."

"Look at me again." Clara remarked softly.

"Sorry, what?" he looked at her.

"In the eye. Look at me. Just do it."

"What? What is it?"

"How long has it been for you since you last saw me?"

"Oh, er, I'm not sure."

"How long?"

"I was stuck on a place. They…"

"They what? Who? Who are we talking about?"

"They wanted something from me. Information. It really doesn't matter."

Clara fought to roll her eyes at him, and asked another question knowing he wouldn't tell her anything, "What happened to your coat? The velvety coat. I liked that one, it was it was very Doctor-y."

"I changed it."

"Why?"

"Well, I can't be the Doctor all the time." He snapped as the grooves on the floor began to click, "I think I've almost got it. I think this is it."

"Tell me what they did to you." Clara ordered, "let's take it in turns," she stood up, looking down at the kneeling Time Lords, "Star, you first."

Star stood up, not liking people looking down at her, it made her feel defenceless, "I wasn't going to look at you dead body more than I had to. I took a short cut. I wasn't going to stand near pathetic little humans any longer than necessary." Her lip curled into a sneer.

Clara gave a curt nod and glanced at the Doctor, "your turn."

He sighed, knowing he had to tell her and so he did. He said that the teleport bracelet Ashildr gave him sent him to his Confession Dial that she had left on Gallifrey near the end of the universe (where they were now) and he was followed by a creature, the only way to keep himself alive was to keep confessing secrets, but he never said what the hybrid was. Of course he didn't say how long he had been there, but had found a way out.

"20 feet of pure diamond." He finished, "Harder than diamond. But you break through anything, given time."

"How much time?" she demanded.

"Miss Oswald." The General, now a woman with dark skin and a close shaved head, approached with Ohila. Marcella a few steps back, looking as though she shouldn't be with them.

Star pointed at her, "I told ya I was doing you a favour."

"Stay back." Clara warned.

"I'm sorry," the General lowered her head, "but we have to find a way to extract you."

"I said, stay back!" both the General and Ohila moved to stand by Marcella, "The Hybrid, what is it? What's so important you would fight so long?"

"It doesn't matter what the Hybrid is." The Doctor waved off, "It only matters that I convinced them that I knew. Otherwise they'd have kicked me out, I'd have had nothing left to bargain with."

"What were you bargaining for?"

"What do you think? You. I had to find a way to save you. I knew it had to be the Time Lords. They cost you your life on Trap Street, Clara, and I was going to make them bring you back. I just had to hang on in there for a bit."

"How long?"

"It was fine."

Clara glared at him and turned to Star for an answer, "you know, so tell me."

"It's none of your business, Oswald." Star shot back before mumbling, "four and a half billion years, he told me."

"He could have left any time he wanted." The General added, "He just had to say what he knew. The dial would have released him."

"Four and a half billion years," Clara gaped at the Doctor.

He shrugged, "if that what she says."

Clara dropped back to her knees before him, "No. Why would you even do that? I was dead! I was dead and gone. Why? Why would you even do that to yourself?"

"I had a duty of care. Listen, I'm nearly through here. If I'm right, there should be a service duct under here. We'll be able to get to the old workshops. They'll have TARDISes there."

"Ok, listen. I have something I need to say."

"We do not have time."

"No, my time, my time is up. Between one heartbeat and the last is all the time I have. People like me and you, we should say things to one another. And I'm going to say them now." She leaned in and whispered into his ear before she stood and walked to the other three, "You're monsters. Here you are, hiding away at the end of Time. Do you even know why? Because you are hated. You are hated by everybody. But by nobody more than me."

"What did you say to him?" Ohila eyed her.

"Oh, nothing I'm going to tell you, or anybody else. Except maybe this one part. I said," she smirked as the hatch opened, "Don't worry, Doctor. They'll all be looking at me."

Star smirked as the Doctor dropped down.

"You need to tell us what the Doctor is going to do now."

"Same as always." Star crossed her arms at Clara side, "stealing a TARDIS and running away."

"Bye!" they both waved as the breaks of another TARDIS wheezed, materialising around them. The first console room that all TARDISes have, basic and white with the roundels on the walls.

Star closed her eyes and lowered her head, the things she did for her own selfish reasons.

"You were quick." Clara remarked.

"Time machine. I backed up a bit." The Doctor replied from the console.

"Doctor! Doctor, face me!" Ohila shouted from outside. "Doctor, can you hear me? Get out of that TARDIS and face me, boy!"

"Boy?" Clara raised an eyebrow at that as the Doctor poked his head out, "You have gone too far. You have broken every code you ever lived by."

"After all this time, after everything I've done, don't you think the universe owes me this?" he asked her.

"Owes you what? All you're doing is giving her hope."

"Since when is hope a bad thing?"

"Hope is a terrible thing on the scaffold."

"It will destroy her," Marcella spoke quietly.

"She'll be fine," he waved off.

"I don't mean Miss Oswald."

He stared at her, waiting for her to look away again, but she didn't, he shut the door on them and Star quickly sent them off.

"What do you think of the new wheels?" he asked.

"Basic." Clara nodded.

"Classic! Look at the colour scheme."

"It's all white."

"It's brilliant!" Star grinned, "Absolutely gorgeous." She rubbed her hand along the console. Beautiful.

He grinned at her, pointing at Clara, "Check your heartbeat again. I think that you'll find you have one."

"Yeah?"

"It should have restarted when we broke free of Gallifrey's time zone. You're alive! Now we just have to shake off the Time Lords. There's only one place we can do that. What do you say to lunch, followed by breakfast? Because we're time travellers and that's how we roll. Then cocktails with Moses. Then I'm going to invent a flying submarine. Why? Because no one ever has and it's annoying. And maybe we should use this TARDIS to find my proper one. I need to change my shirt."

"The old girl was be terribly upset to find out you've stolen one of her sisters and then you'll just abandon her somewhere." Star gave him a look at that.

He nodded sadly, knowing exactly what she was getting out, "I'm sure you can find some use for her."

"Naturally."

"I still don't have a pulse." Clara cut in.

He rolled her eyes, "Oh, you just haven't found it yet. Try again."

"I know how to take my pulse. Look, I know how to do it. See, no pulse, right?"

The Doctor checked her pulse himself and finding nothing, he scanned the finished countdown on her neck.

"Is it still there? Don't lie to me."

He glanced at Star who swallowed hard. Clara was still dead. Marcella hadn't meant it would destroy Clara, she meant Star. of course, even after all these years, she would know what broke Star, "Er, maybe we just have to fly a little bit further, give it a bit more welly."

"They said, your lot, that if you saved me, Time would fracture. What does that mean?"

"Oh, they're exaggerating. They exaggerate all the time. History will be fine. Time will heal. It always does."

"Always?"

"It'll be fine!" Star assured her, "I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to you, remember? Or have you lost all faith in me…us?"

"Not when you're shaking and stuttering." She argued. Star never did that. She was confident even when telling the biggest lies. She never stuttered she never had a reason to, she never got caught out. "So, where are we going?"

"Nowhere in space, forward in time." The Doctor answered her, already dashing around the console, "We're going to the last hours of the universe. We're going long past where the Time Lords were hiding. Literally, to the end. They won't be able to track us there. We'll just be there for a minute. I just need to...I need to make an adjustment."

"To what?"

"It's nothing, really. It's this." He held up the small device the technician gave him.

"The neural block." Clara eyed it, "Human compatible, that's what you said."

"We don't have to stay here long. Check your heartbeat again. Your timeline must have started by now. A pulse, yeah? You have a pulse, yes? Pulse?" he rolled his eyes as she shook her head, "Let me do it."

"I am checking it properly!" she cried.

"This should work. This has got to work."

"What if one last heartbeat is all I've got? What if Time isn't healing? What if the universe needs me to die?"

"The universe doesn't need anything anymore!" Star yelled, "We are at the very end! At the end of everything, we can do anything."

And then there was four knocks from outside.

"How can there be anybody there?" Clara wondered, glancing towards the door as the knocking repeated.

"Four knocks," the Doctor grumbled, "It's always four knocks. Stay in here," he told Clara as he set the sonic glasses on the console.

"What's out there?" she demanded.

The Doctor didn't answer as he went outside so Star did, "Me." She closed the door behind her, leaving them in natural lighting from the burning Citadel before them.

"I told you once, so long ago, that the universe would become a very small place when I'm angry with you. Small enough for you yet?" he asked Ashildr, as she sat on one of the large leather chairs with a small chess set on the table before her.

"Hello, Me." Star smiled, taking the chair next to her.

"You don't seem surprised to see me." She commented.

"At the end of everything, we should expect the company of immortals, so I've been told." The Doctor shrugged.

"Even the other immortals are gone. It's just me."

"The one and only!" Star chuckled, "fitting name, sitting here in a reality bubble at the end of Time itself."

"How are you sustaining it, by the way?" the Doctor furrowed his brows at her.

"Brilliantly." She responded, "I've been watching the stars die. It was beautiful."

"No. It was sad."

"No, it was both. But that's not something you would understand, is it? You don't like endings. She died, Doctor. Clara died billions of years ago."

"You killed her."

"No." Star shook her head. "She didn't." Since she had left trap street her mind had blamed Ashildr, just because she had wanted someone to blame. Ashildr had been the reason they were in trap street in the first place. But she had never place the quantum lock on Clara. Clara herself had done that. But yet, it had been her who had told the Doctor to save Ashildr back in the village, and with that little push it came back to her for the reason the Trap Street they went to even existed.

"No, I didn't." Ashildr agreed with Star, "Neither did you. Nor Star. She did. She died for who she was and who she loved. She fell where she stood. It was sad, and it was beautiful. And it is over. We have no right to change who she was."

"Ashildr…" the Doctor began.

"Me."

"Me, go to hell. By my calculations, you've got about five minutes."

"You know why we run, Doctor?"

"Because it's fun."

"Because we can't bare the pain of those we've lost." Star breathed.

"Because we know summer can't last forever." Ashildr told them.

"Of course it can." The Doctor argued, "You just have to steal a time machine."

"The Hybrid. Five minutes to hell. I think it's time to tell the truth. You were barely more than a child. You broke in here and the Wraiths spoke to you about the Hybrid. Why did that story make you so scared?"

"I don't know." He murmured, "I don't remember it."

"Sometimes you do. It's always the way with things we'd rather forget. You remember now, though, don't you? Tell me, Doctor, who is the Hybrid? Who threatens all of Time and Space?"

"Oh, but that's easy. That's very, very easy. The Hybrid is you."

"I'm human, with a little bit of Mire inside me. The Hybrid is supposed to be half Time Lord, half Dalek."

"No, its not." Star shook her head, and when they both turned to look at her she added, "The prophecy only specified two warrior races. The Daleks and the Time Lords have made assumptions."

"Humans and the Mire, both warrior races." The Doctor pointed out, "It fits perfectly."

"It's an interesting theory." Me agreed.

"Do you have a better one?"

"By your own reasoning, why couldn't the Hybrid be half Time Lord, half human?"

"It's not River, if that's what you're trying to say," Star shook her head.

Ashildr just smirked, "Tell me, Doctor, I've always wondered. You're a Time Lord, you're a high-born Gallifreyan. Why is it you spend so much time on Earth?"

"That's your best theory?" the Doctor scoffed, "I'm the Hybrid? I ran away from Gallifrey because I was afraid of myself? That doesn't make any sense."

"It makes perfect sense, and you know it. Am I right? Is it true? But I have a better theory."

"Really?"

"What if the Hybrid wasn't one person, but two? A dangerous combination of a passionate and powerful Time Lord and a young woman so very similar to him. Companions who are willing to push each other to extremes. How did you meet her?"

"Missy." He breathed.

"Missy," Ashildr smiled, "The Master. The lover of chaos, who wants you to love it, too. She's quite the matchmaker."

If only they saw Star smirking, oh, Missy didn't chose Clara at random, no, she had told her just how much Clara was like the Doctor, meaning that the woman would go down their timeline to ensure that Clara met them and kept together. But it had been Star who had been the one to create the Hybrid Prophecy. Everything that had happened had been for a reason, she had landed them in the Viking era to ensure the Ashildr became immortal, the last person at the end of the universe, a Human and Mire hybrid, to put people off who the real hybrid was. It wasn't two races, not really. Just one. Just one woman who would do anything to get what she wanted, a human who would push others to do her dirty work, her bidding. A woman who could do the impossible, a human who in an echo life had lived as a Time Lady. Human biologically but otherwise so much more than that. They'd go to hell for Clara, and she knew it. She had never meant for Clara to die though.

She'd been planning this for billions of years, way before Missy had.

The bootstrap Paradox. Very complicated time travel that only the cleverest of mind could complete, especially without being caught.

The only problem was that she had been the reason the Doctor had ran away in the first place because of her plan from the future it had meant that in the past the Doctor had run away because he was scared of the prophecy.

She didn't know how she felt about that.

"Clara's my niece." The Doctor muttered.

"I know. And you're willing to risk all of Time and Space because you miss her." Ashildr mocked him, "One wonders what the pair of you will get up to next. "

"Nothing. Nothing at all. I know I went too far. I get it. That's why I'm doing what I'm doing."

"And what would that be?"

"I'm taking her back to Earth. Somewhere safe, somewhere out of the way. I'm going to wipe her memory of every last detail of Star and I."

"No." Star deadpanned, "she would hate that!"

"You didn't complain when I did it before. Usually, I do it telepathically, but this time, I've got something better. It's quite painless."

"I didn't complain because I didn't know the woman."

"Will you tell her what you're going to do?" Ashildr inquired.

"Of course."

"When?"

"Now."

Ashildr gestured for the Doctor to go before her and followed Star into the TARDIS last where Clara turned to them.

"Considering you're not surprised to see Ashildr again, I gather you were watching," Star deducted.

She swallowed, nodding, "yeah." She grabbed the sonic glasses and the Doctor picked up the neural block, "No. Doctor, whatever you're about to do, don't do it."

"It won't hurt, it'll be nothing." He promised, "You'll just pass out for a moment."

"And then?"

"When you wake, you'll be fine."

"But…"

"Clara, just listen to me."

"Just say it. Say it. Come on. Tell me."

"When you wake up, you will have forgotten Star and I. You'll have forgotten we ever even met."

"And why would I want that?"

"Because it's the only way. That stuff in your head, the image of me, they could use it to find you."

"I, er I used these." Clara held up the sonic glasses, "on the neutral block."

"Did you reverse the polarity?" Star asked with a small grin.

"Push that button, Doctor, it will go off in your own face."

"You were trying to trick me?" he breathed.

"What were you doing to me?"

"I'm trying to keep you safe."

"Why? Nobody's ever safe. I've never asked you for that, ever. These have been the best years of my life, and they are mine." She said, firmly, "Tomorrow is promised to no one, Doctor, but I insist upon my past. I am entitled to that. It's mine."

"Oh, Clara Oswald. What am I doing? You're right. You're always, always right."

"So what happens now? Hey? Me and you, what do we do now?"

He offered her a grim smile, his thumb over the button on the neutral block, "only one way, isn't there?"

She was right, they were right. He shouldn't wipe Clara's mind without her permission. But one of them had to forget the other, for the safety of the rest of the universe. He volunteered.

Star hurried forwards the Doctor swayed slightly, a moment after he pressed the button, resulting in his memory being wiped. She helped him stay upright as he stumbled.

"No." Clara whispered, shaking her head, knowing that he'd soon forget her.

"Run like hell." he told her, using the console as support. It wasn't fair on Star to have to support him, the TARDIS could do a better job.

"What?"

"Run like hell, because you always need to. Laugh at everything, because it's always funny."

"No. Stop it. You're saying goodbye. Don't say goodbye!"

"Never be cruel and never be cowardly. And if you ever are, always make amends."

"Stop it! Stop this. Stop it!"

"Never eat pears. They're too squishy and they always make your chin wet. That one's quite important. Write it down."

"I never meant for this to happen," Star shook her head. All she had wanted was to scare the Time Lords enough to give her a reason to go home but have them know about the hybrid so they wouldn't try to kill her. She had never meant for it to go so far that they had to forget each other.

"It's ok. It's ok. I went too far. I broke all my own rules. I became the Hybrid. This is right. I accept it."

"No...It was a joke. A prank. The hybrid never existed."

"There has to be something I can do." Clara pleaded, tears beginning to fall.

"Smile for me." He looked at her, "Go on, Clara Oswald, one last time."

"How could I smile?"

"It's ok. Don't you worry. I'll remember it..."

~.~

The Doctor entered the 1950s American disguised diner in the middle of Nevada to see Star sitting at the counter, sipping a banana milkshake through a curly straw.

"Nice place you got here." He remarked, setting his guitar resting against the counter as he slid into the stool next to her.

"Did you just happen to pick up a faulty TARDIS again or was it on purpose?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, "I do have a habit don't I?"

It wasn't technically his fault, the way out led him straight down to the TARDIS repair shop and he quickly took the first TARDIS that was unlocked. Easy. This new TARDIS, clearly wanted to see the universe like her sister.

She inhaled deeply, "I'm sorry."

He frowned, "for what?"

"Thinking I was capable of doing anything."

She shouldn't have done it, created the hybrid. If she had known it would result in Clara dying and then the Doctor forgetting her then she would have never done it. She would have thought of another way to get her own TARDIS. She never wanted any of this to happen.

She sighed, "Are you looking for her?"

He shifted to face her, "who?"

"Clara."

"Yes. Do you think I should keep looking?"

"I think that when the time is right you'll see her again." Star offered him with a sad smile which the Doctor returned.

"You know exactly where she is don't you?"

"Yeah."

"And you're not going to tell me?"

"Nope."

"I don't blame you."

Even though he couldn't remember Clara he knew that they were dangerous together and that it was better with him having forgotten her. He knew he'd recognise her if he saw her. Clara was family wasn't she? she was his niece, of course he was known her. Wouldn't he?

She snorted, "You never do. Why is that?" She was curious, after all she had done, all those times she had messed up. Even after he found out she was the one who sent the Master to kill him. He had not one shouted at her, not once been mad or disappointed, he had always forgiven her. It was actually irritating.

The Doctor could only shrug, "you're my daughter. I'll always forgive you."

She sighed, of course that was his answer. She slid a small envelope in front of him, making him look curiously at it before frowning at her, "just open it." She rolled her eyes.

He obeyed and tore open the envelope for a small key to drop out along with a slip of paper with a long number scribbled in Stars cursive handwriting. "I'm allowed to visit then?" He confirmed as he pocketed the key and number.

"As long as you phone ahead." She nodded.

"So this is it then."

"This is..."

"Not goodbye." He cut in quickly.

"Not forever." She agreed just as quickly. "I mean I'll be round at Christmas. As long as you ring."

"Of course. Christmas is family time." He smiled. "I doubt you'll be alone by then."

"I'm not alone. I'm with Me."

"You did promise her time travel didn't you?" He nodded, recalling she had mentioned about taking a companion. Now she finally had one. Though he doubted they'd get on like he did with his companions of him in charge and them following. Ashildr was billions of years older than Star. She just hadn't seen as much of the universe.

Star smiled, leaning her head in his shoulder, "play me a song."

"What kind of song?" He asked, picking up his guitar.

"A sad one."

He looked at her for that, "nothing's sad until it's over."

"Then everything is."

He gave her a small smile as he stood up, shifting the guitar to a comfortable position as he played a sad song for her. Star closed her eyes as he played, knowing that just behind the doors that said it led to the rest room was Clara in the console room, listening.

"That's Clara's song." She noted. It was one of hers, one she had created herself for Clara. It had been when she had been learning to play, she had made mistakes but instead of admitting it, changed it into a new song herself. She never admitted she played the wrong notes, she was purposely creating a song. Of course she had been.

"Is it?" He paused and looked over at her.

Star shook her head at him, giving him a tight hug, "I'll see you soon."

And that was it, she turned and walked into the restroom leaving the Doctor standing in the middle of the room before she dematerialised them around him leaving him in the dirt room with his TARDIS nearby. A painting of Clara in her memory on the front doors, painted by Rigsy. Whether the Doctor could recognise her not, she didn't know.

"What?" she looked up at the two brunettes' looks.

"You wrote a song for me?" Clara teased.

She groaned. She should have known they would have been listening. They were so rude!

~.~

"It may be a while until I can fix the chameleon circuit," Star called from under the console, "the exterior may be stuck as an American Diner for a while until I can fix it."

"Sure you can even fix it?" Ashildr asked her, looking up over the TARDIS manual she was reading.

"I doubt she's as broken as the old girl, eh, baby?" She smirked as she patted the console, feeling the TARDIS humming. At least she liked her as much as the old girl did.

"Awesome." Clara grinned.

"Still no pulse?" Ashildr glanced at her.

"Time isn't healing. I am still frozen."

"You know what that means?" Star swallowed.

"It means my death is a fixed point," Clara sighed, "the universe depends on it happening."

"I'm sorry," Ashildr offered. She hadn't actually caused Clara's death but it didn't stop her feeling a little guilty since if they never went to trap street the woman would have never had to face the Raven.

"Why? Why doesn't everybody think I am so scared? We all face the Raven in the end. That is the deal. If I go back to Gallifrey, they can put me back, right? On trap street, the moment they took me out?"

"Yes." Star nodded. Knowing them, they were probably trying to trace their TARDIS right this moment to drag them back. Two of them were near the ends of their lifes'.

"Mind you...seeing as I'm not actually aging, there's a tiny little bit of wiggle room, isn't there?"

Star smirked as Ashildr raised an eyebrow, "wiggle room?"

"Wiggle room, yeah, you know, wiggle room. We could, you know, stop off on the way."

"Where are we going?"

"Gallifrey," Star stated.

"The long way round." Clara finished, pulling a lever, sending them off on their next great adventure.

She still had a book of 101 places to see to complete...


	12. The husbands of River Song

Star dashed through the TARDIS into the console room and quickly picked up the ringing phone, sipping her coffee as she spoke, "Hello?" she frowned, not many had this number. The Doctor…Missy. Clara had complained at that and gave the number to Kate and the Osgoods. That was about it.

"It's Christmas." The Doctor called on the line.

"Is it?" she checked, "Oh, so it is."

Star grinned, almost able to hear him rolling his eyes, "You said if I rang then you'd come and visit at Christmas."

"So I did."

"Will you come?"

"What will we be doing?" She wondered off him, twirling her finger through the phone cord, glancing down the corridor to see if anyone else had heard the phone.

"Critiquing carollers." He answered, just knowing she'd love insulting humans who were trying and no doubt failing to sing.

Star moved to the other side of the console, the phone still to her ear, "can you send me your coordinates?"

There was a moment of silence before the Doctor came back, "done."

And another moment before they came through, "got them!" She beamed, quickly scribbling a small note to the girls telling them where she had gone, "see you in a second!" And with that she pushed a button and disappeared from her console room and quickly reappeared in the Doctors.

"Nice antlers." She smirked seeing him wearing reindeer antlers on his head.

He blinked at her, feeling for them and as he did so they disappeared, "I'm not wearing antlers."

"I know. It was a joke." Her smirk widened as she patted the console, "hey, old girl, miss me?" The hum was enough proof that yet she did miss having another girl around.

"I think someone else has missed you too," the Doctor frowned at her.

"And how is the new sonic screwdriver. Bet that was a good surprise wasn't it, shame it had to only see your face. It's a joke," she chuckled at the Doctors put out face, "I supposed I missed you too." She grinned, hugging him tightly.

"How have you been?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "it's great. Really great. We're great."

He frowned, "once more and I'll believe you."

"It's all great!" she forced a smile.

It wasn't how she had expected it to be. With Ashildr as the oldest she wanted to be in charge, while Clara used the excuse of being so much like the Doctor that she should, leaving Star with having more knowledge and because it was her TARDIS. It was mostly just arguing. They never went where they wanted to because they couldn't agree with each other. It was just a mess really.

"That's great," the Doctor nodded, he wasn't going to ask what wasn't great about it. Nor suggest she came back with him. As much as he missed having her around he knew that if she wanted to she'd ask herself.

Only for someone to knock on the door. "I didn't know Rudolf opened doors," Star called as the Doctor went to open the door.

He frowned at her, opening the door to a small man in a bobble hat, "is there anything on my head?" it was how Star had said it, she may have said it as a joke but with her repeating it, it was making him curious.

The man blinked, "Erm, well, yes."

"Is it antlers?"

"Erm, yes."

"I knew it!" he turned back, pointing at Star as she leaned on the console, smirking as the TARDIS hummed in amusement, he walked up to the console and hit it, "You are a time-space machine. You're a vehicle! I've never asked you to cheer me up with holographic antlers! And you!" he turned to Star, "barely two minutes and you're already on her side!"

She shrugged, "I'm apologising for leaving her."

"You're apologising for leaving her!?"

She narrowed her eyes, "what's that supposed to mean?"  
His eyes widened as he realised how that sounded, "I just meant...you don't normally apologise…" he fumbled under her piercing gaze. "I'm just…" he moved back to the door, hoping to leave that conversation in the dark, "how can I help?"

"Are you the surgeon?" the man asked.

"Close enough," the Doctor answered, "why?"

"Well, you know."

"I don't know."

"There's a medical emergency." The small man turned and walked off.

The Doctor glanced back at Star who shrugged and headed out with him, "Will there be singing?" she wondered.

"No." he blinked at her.

She pouted, "I supposed I can just criticise Clara later."

"We weren't sure where you'd come down." The man continued as they walked down the brightly lit street.

"Sorry?" the Doctor shot him a puzzled look.

"In your capsule."

"I'm never sure. I don't like being sure about things. One minute you're sure, the next everybody turns into lizards and a piano falls on you."

"A piano?" Star looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"It's been a long day." He sighed.

"And you thought seeing me would help what exactly…help you relax?"

"It's Christmas. You said as long as I call…"

"I know what I said. I was the one who said it. Clara made me write it down so I wouldn't forget and complain."

"Right." He nodded slowly. Clara Oswald, previous companion he had been forced to forget, he could just recall having called the woman the boss. "So what's the medical emergency?" he inquired to the small man.

"Didn't you read the agreement?" he looked up at them.

Star almost snorted at that, "I doubt it."

"Oi!" the Doctor pouted, nudging her lightly.

"Well, there it is." The man pointed to the flying saucer at the edge of the village.

"What?"

"There. That's it."

"That's what? Oh, the flying saucer. Is that new?"

The door opened as they approached and someone in a red floor length cloak with white fur trim walked down the ramp to meet them.

"Well, you took your time." The person, a woman with a very familiar voice in Stars mind, spoke.

"Sorry, ma'am." The man bowed, "This is him. This is the surgeon. And his…erm…"

"I'm the one who get the job done," Star offered, shoving her hands in her pockets. She had no idea what was going on right now, doubted the Doctor did either, but it would be hilarious when they realised they had the wrong people. And she couldn't wait to laugh at their faces.

"You don't look much like your pictures." The woman eyed the Doctor.

"Well, that's an ongoing problem for me." He chuckled. "well, both of us."

"Doesn't look very impressive, does he? Nardole, what have you brought to my doorstep?"

"I've had a haircut. This is my best suit."

"It's not even a suit."

"I honestly preferred the velvet." Star agreed, "Are you going to show us your face or are we just going to continue talking to a hood?"

The woman threw back her hood to reveal…River Song! "And now that you've met me, you'll do your very best to forget me."

"River!" the Doctor grinned broadly at her.

"Oi!" the man, Nardole, glared, "Doctor Song to you. Sometimes Professor, but mainly Doctor."

"Don't use my name. Ever." River hissed at them, "How do you know me?"

"I think the question is why don't you know us?" Star asked. River knew all of their regenerations, why didn't she know her at the very least?

"It's a tiny bit complicated." The Doctor shrugged, "People usually need a flowchart."

"It doesn't matter. If either of you use my name again, I will remove your organs in alphabetical order. Any questions?"

"Which alphabet?" Star asked dryly, only for River look at her unamused, "it was just a joke."

"This way. We don't have a lot of time." River turned and led them back in the saucer.

Star slumped her shoulders. River didn't recognise them. Neither of them. She had a reason for the Doctor, he had a new regeneration cycle, she thought he would die after regeneration 13, but that didn't mean she couldn't recognise her. She should do. Why didn't River recognise her face?

"So what seems to be the problem?" the Doctor asked as they caught up.

"My husband." River replied.

"Which one?" Star smirked.

"None of your business." She shot back, making Star blink, River had never used a tone like that with her before, "but he is dying."

The Doctors eyes widened as he gaped at her.

"Something wrong?" Nardole frowned at him.

"I think I'm going to need a bigger flowchart." He whispered. His sister, his LITTLE sister, his LITLE ADOPTED sister was married and so Star made it sound she had married plenty of times, and she knew. Star knew River had married, married a few times obviously and he, the older brother, didn't get to even know about one.

"Husband, I return to you." River remarked as they entered a large chamber, cloaked figure drew out their swords as they entered before slinging them back seeing as it was only them and they were here to help.

"Where is my queen?" a voice replied from the top of a large red suit lying on the table in the centre of the room.

"Never far from you, my love." River made her way to the head.

"No, wait. That's your husband?" the Doctor pointed blankly at him.

"Listen, you are being watched by four billion people." River warned him, gesturing to the screens on the walls, crowds of people watching in the streets. "You are surrounded by warrior monks with sentient laser swords, genetically engineered anger problems and not enough to do. Best just stay still and keep your hands by your side."

"That's your husband?"

"My husband, your patient. King Hydroflax."

"Yes, that's who you're married to?"

"My love, attend me, woman!" Hydroflax called.

"I fly to you." River stroked the head, glaring at the Doctor, "Is there a problem?"

"No." he shook his head, "no problem." He leaned closer to Star, whispering, "Did you know she married."

"Not to him," Star crossed her arm. River used to always tell her about when she got married.

"I don't like him."

"Don't cross your arms." Nardole hissed. "Keep your arms by your side, like she said."

"Don't tell me what to do." Star sneered.

"My one true love." River soothed, "The only husband I will ever have."

Star bit the insides of her cheeks to stop herself from laughing as she gagged at the sloppiness of Rivers marriage. "My time with you has been too short."

"You have given me days of adventure and many nights of passion." Hydroflax returned.

Star gagged again, crossing her arms in disgust. Married couples, she'd never understand them.

Nardole nudged Star making her drop her arms, "Why do you keep crossing them?"

"Because it's a natural reaction," she hissed, crossing her arms again.

"The end is near. I feel it."

"Forgive me, my lord." River remarked, "I have acted against your instructions."

"My love?"

"If you die this day, this galaxy will drown any tears. Oh, look at them, your people! They watch and hope and pray. With so much at stake, I followed my heart. I disobeyed your orders and sent for the finest surgeon in the galaxy!" River held her arms out to the Doctor as the crowd on the screens cheered.

"This might be an alarming question in the circumstance, but you really do think I'm a surgeon, don't you?" the Doctor whispered to Nardole, the man widened his eyes at what that meant, "Ok, calm down, keep it together. Don't make puddles."

"Surgeon, attend your patient." River stepped back.

"Any tiny hint of species he might be?" he asked Nardole as the man whimpered in fear, "Ok, never mind. You just stay there." He looked at Star as he made his way to the king's side.

"Bow." River instructed.

"Sorry, what?"

"You are in the presence of his Infinite Majesty, King Hydroflax. You will bow."

"Oh, no. I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I can't do that."

"You what?"

"It's my back."

"Bow." Star hissed, glaring at the Doctor. He would not ruin this for River. The woman was obviously acting this out. "Now."

Knowing it was for the best, he bowed to the king, mostly for the safety of himself.

"Can you save me, Surgeon?" Hydroflax looked at him.

"Well, that depends upon what's wrong with you."

"There's something in his brain." River informed him.

"You could have fooled me." He muttered, angering the king, "Oh, oh, sorry." River quickly massaged the face, trying to sooth him, "Sorry, just gallows humour. Probably the wrong word." He wasn't that great at humour, it was Star who was the hilarious one.

"Yeah, I would say it is." Nardole mumbled from where he stood with Star, who had crossed her arms again.

"My love, you must rest." River murmured, "The surgeon and I will discuss the procedure. Prepare, master of my life, to live anew." Star had to turn away in disgust as River planted a long sloppy kiss on the king's forehead. "Patience be with you all." River face the crowd on the screens, "Our King will rise again!"

"Our King will rise again." The crowd returned.

River gestured for the two to follow her out of the chamber, leaving the cheering crowd and the king.

"All right," he Doctor huffed, "enough of this. The joke's over."

"What joke?" River looked blankly at him.

"Look at me."

"Why?"

"I'm the Doctor. And this is St…"

River cut him off before he could say she was Star. She was standing right there, "You'd better be, you've got an operation to perform." She pushed a button from the control panel in the middle of the room showing a large hologram of Hydroflax's head, "Here's the entry wound, just below the hairline. And there's the projectile. It should have killed him straight off, but he's very strong."

"That's not a bullet," Star stared at it, "that's a diamond."

"How did it get in there?" the Doctor shook his head.

"At speed." River answered. "Do you recognise it?"

The Doctor put on his sonic glasses to scan it, "Yes. The Halassi Androvar."

"The very same. Hydroflax was leading a raid on the Halassi vaults. In the ensuing fire-fight, the whole thing blew up in his face, with the result that he now has the most valuable diamond in the universe lodged three inches inside his enormous head."

"The most valuable in the universe," Star repeated quietly.

"So, can you remove it?" River asked.

"It's very small." The Doctor muttered, "It might be difficult to manoeuvre it."

"Not the diamond. His head" River corrected, making them both look at her, "I think it would be easier just to remove the whole thing, don't you?"

"Wouldn't that kill him?"

"You're the medical expert, but I'd say so, yes."

"Your husband?"

"Sort of."

"Sort of?"

"How can he be your sort of husband?" Star shook her head.

"I basically married the diamond. The Halassi want their diamond back, so they came to me."

"Why?" Star smirked in amusement. THAT was the River Song she knew and loved.

"I'm an archaeologist." She shrugged.

"You're also a Murderer and a thief."

"An archaeologist is just a thief. With patience."

"Tell me…how long do you wait until grave robbing is archaeology?"

River blinked slowly, it wasn't a question often asked, "You know, I have no idea." She shrugged and emptied a large bag, throwing away a red fez and a bronze plate, "Never had much of that. It'll fit in here, don't you think? I've checked it for leaks."

"Is this what you're like when I'm not…" the Doctor trailed.

"Not what?"

He shook his head, "You're talking about murdering someone."

"No, I'm not. I'm actually murdering someone. Cheer up, get a saw, I'll kill the lights, you kill the patient. I employed you. You agreed to this. Do you not know who that man is? King Hydroflax, the butcher of the Bone Meadows, who ends his battles by eating his enemies, dead or alive. The murder of a creature like that wouldn't weigh heavily on my conscience, even if I had one. What's that face? Are you thinking? Stop it. You're a man, it looks weird."

"I need more information." The Doctor murmured, furrowing his brows in thought.

"For what?

"For my diagnosis."

"He's dying. We're about to steal his head and scoop out his brains. Aren't we over-thinking?"

"I'll be the judge of that. I'm the Doctor."

River frowned at him for that, "You know who you remind me of?"

"An idiot with a large chin?" Star suggested.

"My second wife."

"Really?" Star blinked. She would need to have words with Clara about that. Clara was the person most like the Doctor. She wouldnt put it past her to have married River without her knowledge.

"Darling!" River gasped as the really Hydroflax appeared through the hologram, his monks arming their swords at them, "You're up and about!"

"False wife!" he snarled.

"How much better you're looking!"

"You plan to take my head."

"Never crossed my mind. Is this your bag?" she handed the bag to Star who rolled her eyes and handed it to the Doctor who rolled his eyes but held it.

"Perhaps you should have just asked." Hydroflax's hand reached to the side of his head and pulled his head off the body and set it on the table.

"Well! I wondered why we didn't share a bathroom." River mumbled.

"You married a cyborg and you didn't even know it." Star muttered to the woman. How did you not know the species of the person you married? Even if you didn't just marry them for the diamond.

"I'll have you flogged and flayed and burnt." Hydroflax informed them, "I will crush every last remnant of you from this universe."

"How dare you!" River cried in outrage, "I'm your wife."

"You planned to murder me!"

"Don't change the subject."

"Why are you doing this? Who are you?"

"I'm Professor River Song. You have an ancient artefact of great value to good people, and whatever it takes, I'm going to bring it home to them. You have stolen so much from so many, King Hydroflax, and I'm the woman who's going to steal it all back."

"What are you?!"

"I'm an archaeologist. Look! I've got a trowel." She pulled out a trowel from it tool belt, revealing it to be sonic as she zapped it at the monks swords.

"Don't you dare touch her!" Star yelled, "Do not harm her in anyway!" she quickly pick up Hydroflax's head, her nails digging into his cheek, "or the head gets it!"

"Ignore her. Attack!" Hydroflax ordered.

"What did I just say!" Star sneered as the kings body went to attack River again.

"Garbage disposal, right?" the Doctor opened the hatch and Star tossed him the head, "Get ready to say whee!"

"Put me down." Hydroflax glared.

"Back off from River Song. Give the order now. Get yourself under control."

"Do not attack the female."

River joined the Time Lords, grabbing the bag as she pointing her sonic trowel at Hydroflax's head, "Nobody move, or the head gets it."

"Sonic trowel, really?" Star looked at the woman. Like grandfather, like granddaughter apparently.

"Their threats are empty. Destroy them!" Hydroflax yelled.

"Negative." His body argued, "78% chance of significant tissue damage."

"Do as you're told!"

"Decision overruled. Recommendation, chill."

"Ooh, your body has a mind of his own." Star commented, "bet you didn't know that."

"More like an onboard computer for the cybernetic component." River remarked.

"Plus in-built flash drive and vernacular friendly interface." The Doctor added.

"Cyber co-pilot."

"Mobile life support."

"Sexy."

"It's not sexy."

"This is banter," Star sighed, for a man who said he hated banter. It happened too often.

"Speaking of which." River nodded, speaking into her wrist comm. "Ramone, prep for emergency extraction. Three to go."

"Standing by for teleport." A male voice responded.

"Put it in the bag."

"Head going in the bag," Star took the head back off the Doctor and up it in the bag River held open for her.

"Ramone, 20 seconds to jump."

"Do not put me in the bag." Hydroflax grumbled as River zipped the bag up. "I will not be placed into a bag! You will be crushed! You will be destroyed! You will beg my infinite mercy!"

Star rolled her eyes, "yes, yes, heard it all before, dear."

"Try to follow me and I'll put him in a blender." River warned the body and the monks, "Ramone, now."

With a blue light the trio and the bag teleported away.

~.~

And reappeared two feet above the ground where they fell in the snow.

"Ramone!" River huffed, "Just once, can you get the height right?"

"Sorry, Professor." he apologised.

"When I escape, I will bring terror to you and your family. There is no escape from the…"

"Home in on my signal." River cut the head off, "Get a shift on. Can you locate the Damsel?"

"I'm on it. The capsule is really close." He replied.

River turned and glared at both the Doctor and Star as the pair were both lying in the snowing laughing, "Is something funny?"

"Who dares laugh at Hydroflax?" Hydroflax called, "You shall be crushed! You shall scream in fear! Let me out of this bag!"

"This is a serious mission in a critical phase. There is nothing to laugh about here."

Star tried to bite back her laughing only to make it worse as she cackled in the snow, "We're being threatened by a bag!"

"By a head in a bag!" the Doctor nodded, still laughing.

"Never been threatened by a head in a bag before."

"I shall make dust of you. My enemies are meat for the devouring!"

"I can't approve of any of this, you know," the Doctor chastised, "but I haven't laughed in a long time."

"Well, good for you." River nodded to the pair of them.

"Prepare to die in agony and submit to my supremacy! Unzip this bag!"

At his muffled threats the three of them quickly found themselves laughing again.

"You know, don't you?" the Doctor grinned at River.

"Know what?" River could help but keep the smile on her face.

"Stop pretending. You know who we are."

"Who are you?"

"You know who we are. Its us."

"Great. Who are you?"

"Professor Song!" a man with dark hair and a stumble hurried over, "Sorry, Professor. Sorry about the height thing."

"Prove it." River smirked, before pulling him into a deep passionate kiss.

"Urgh!" the Doctor groaned, looking away in disgust. It was not right, to watch his sister kiss like that, it was just…yuck. "Doesn't it get dull after a while? As an activity, it's not hugely varied, is it?"

"I'm so sorry." River pulled away, taking a deep breath, "This is my husband, Ramone."

"Are you going to kill him, too?" Star wondered.

"We're not actually married." Ramone corrected.

"Ah, we are, in fact." River winced slightly, "I wiped it from your memory."

"Why?"

"Well, you were being annoying. So, the Damsel. Do we have a fix?"

"Found the capsule just over in the village, but I can't locate Damsel. Nor the Queen. I've looked everywhere."

"Who's Damsel and the Queen?" the Doctor cut in.

"Have you been thorough?" River questioned, "It's not easy, you know. They do have 13 faces."

Ramone pulled out a wallet and a sheaf photographs dropped down, showing all of the Doctors faces from his first cycle. "None of these men are here. Are you sure it's one of these?"

"Yes! He only has these twelve faces. He'll be around here somewhere. This is the closest intersection with the Doctor's timeline. That's why I crashed Hydroflax's ship here."

"How come you don't have photos of the other one." Star almost pouted at that. "His daughter?" why did River have photos of the Doctor but not her, was she not loved enough.

"Star doesn't like people knowing about her," River informed her, "I respect that."

"Right." Star nodded slowly, blinking back tears. Ok, so, River did care, cared a lot so it seemed that she remembered that she didn't like people knowing about her and so she didn't carry photos of her, obviously in case they fell into the wrong hands.

"Damsel." The Doctor frowned. Why was he Damsel but Star was Queen.

"Codename, Damsel in Distress. Apparently, he needs a lot of rescuing." Ramone told him.

"And Queen?"

"Shes not a princess."

"Ah. Well what if he has a face that you don't know about yet?"

"He has limits." River said, "Well, then, let's go find him."

"What?" the Doctor glanced at Star as they two walked behind River and Ramone as they walked through the village. The man carrying the bag.

"She doesn't have photos of me because I asked her not to." Star whispered.

"And that's a bad thing?"

"No. It's brilliant."

He frowned at her, scratching the back of his head, no idea why she was upset that River didn't have her photos because she had asked. What? Women were so confusing.

"What if we can't find them?" Ramone wondered, "We need to get you off-world now."

"Off-world. People never say that." The Doctor chuckled at his wording, "Are you new?"

"We can't hang around waiting." River shook her head, "They could be ages."

"Yes, he's probably off rebuilding a civilisation or defeating giant robot fish"

"We'll just have to steal it."

"From the ninth dimension. Sorry, what?" the Doctor blinked. She had just said she'll steal the TARDIS, HIS TARDIS!

"The hopper is really close." Ramone remarked, "We would be out of here in less than ten minutes."

"I need time travel. I need this TARDIS."

"Steal or borrow?" Star asked, "Two different things."

"I'm going to bring her back," River assured.

"You can't just steal a box." The Doctor narrowed his eyes, "it says police."

"I have a key." River produced her TARDIS key.

"This er Damsel person. He sounds, he sounds pretty dangerous. Ish."

"It's a time machine. I can take it, do whatever I want for as long as I like and pop it back a second later. He'll never know it was gone."

"Yes, he will."

"How?"

"He'll just know."

"Well, he's never noticed before. I've even gone with the Queen and she had never said anything to him."

"Is that so…?" the Doctor turned to Star who innocently avoided his eyes, "well, maybe he'll notice now."

River laughed at the absurd idea of the Doctor finding out before she turned to Ramone, "I'll see you on Temple Beach." She kissed him, "I've already picked out your swimwear."

"Ok, but be careful." He smiled.

"Absolutely not." She laughed as Star looked like she was about to be sick, "You two, with me. Bring the head."

"Please, look after her for me." Ramone pleaded as the woman went inside.

"I'm sure she'll be looking after us." Star corrected making the man nodded.

River poked her head out of the door, "Oh, before you come in, you'd better prepare yourself for a shock. It's not as snug as it looks."

"Finally." The Doctor smiled, "It's my go."

"I'm going to go in first. And then I will pretend I don't know you." Star turned and stepped inside, mock gasping. "Oh my stars! It's smaller on the outside!"

River glanced over at her from where she was imputing coordinates, "well, yes, it suppose that's one way of putting it."

"It's bigger!" the Doctor exclaimed.

"We need to concentrate."

"Than it is…"

"I know where you're going with this, but I need you to calm down."

"On the outside!"

"You've certainly grasped the essentials."

"My entire understanding of physical space has been transformed! Three-dimensional Euclidean geometry has been torn up, thrown in the air and snogged to death! My grasp of the universal constants of physical reality has been changed forever."

Star smirked in amusement as he went ever-so over dramatic, "I think I need a drink. That was hilarious." She laughed.

The Doctor beamed at her, "I've always wanted to see that done properly."

River opened a roundel from down the stairs and revealed a drinks cabinet, "So, a drink. Aldebaran brandy. Help yourself, but don't tell Dad."

Star blinked, pointing at the roundel, blinked again, shaking her head. She had no idea the roundels were used for storing stuff. Wow, now she knew. "Anyone else hear the beeping?" she asked, no longer surprised about the secret holding areas.

The Doctor peeked inside the bag seeing the beeping was coming from there and found the head and shut its eyes, "It seems to have powered down, conserving batteries. It's an in-built life-support system. I'm not sure what powers it, but…"

"I really don't care." River cut him off, "What's that noise?"

"I don't know. A signal? Distress call?"

"Homing beacon." Star answered for them.

"Possibly."

"So the rest of him is coming?" River realised.

"He must be very cross." The Doctor reasoned, "He's lost his head."

"Time we were off, then." River moved around the console, starting the engines up before the shuddered and powered down.

"I don't think it was supposed to do that." Star remarked.

"Hush." River glared.

Star reached and pulled a lever, "try that."

"And you probably want to press that button." The Doctor added.

"No," Star deadpanned.

"Why? That evacuates the waste tank on deck 7." River looked at him oddly.

"Oh," he frowned, "is that true?" he asked Star quietly.

"Yes."

"Better avoid deck 7 then."

"Oh that's digusting!"

"Something's interfering with the engines," River grunted as she tried to pull a lever down again, "which is technically not possible."

"Unless the engines are interfering with themselves."

The Doctor nodded along with her, "Wild theory, but what if this machine had certain safeguards. For instance, maybe it can't take off when a life form registers as being both inside and outside at the same time?"

"Head and body." River blinked.

"Which would mean, and again, I'm just, I'm just wildly theorising here, that's the door would not engage properly."

"Of course. It can't seal the real-time envelope."

"Hence it can't take off. Not when someone is in and out at the same time. I mean, that just wouldn't be good manners, would it?"

"You're very quick." River eyed him.

"Yes. For a Doctor." He stressed rolling his eyes as she still didn't understand him.

"Yes."

"Seriously?" he huffed, "I don't know why you're laughing," he turned to Star, the girl laughing from the side, "she doesn't recognise you, either."

She stopped laughing and crossed her arms, before smirking, "I bet that she'll figure it out on her own. You don't need to force her to recognise us."

"And I say otherwise."

"Deal."

"Done."

They shook hands.

But he didn't know as he went back to the head, "It's signalling. We have to assume the body is homing in on this."

"So, how do we stop it?" River demanded.

"I say chop of its head," Star remarked, sarcastically, "oh, wait."

"Does sarcasm help?"

"Yes!"

"So, summing up. It's coming, we can't take off, we can't seal the doors. So we just kill the head, right?"

"You can't stab the head in the face!" he cried.

Star held her hands up in defence as River frowned at him, "I was going to shoot it actually."

"Argh!" Hydroflax opened his eyes again making the Doctor drop him in surprise, landing face first on the floor.

"Go on, then, tell him to put his hands up."

"Do not fire if you value your lives." Hydroflax warned them.

"Why, what are you going to do?"

"Kill me, and my body will burn."

"Burn what?"

"This world!"

Star shrugged, watching as the Doctor shared a look with River before picking up the head and setting it on the console, "its not my problem if this world goes up in smoke."

"Hey!" the Doctor turned and glared warningly at her.

"Suppose we believe you." River eyed the head, "How?"

"My body contains a split quantum actualiser." Hydroflax told them.

"A perpetually stabilised black hole." The Doctor nodded, "That's your power source."

"What sort of medical school did you go to?"

"A really good one for doctors."

Star shook her head at him. Still River had no idea. This would be hilarious when he lost.

"More than a power source." Hydroflax grinned smugly, "If necessary, a bomb."

"So you could wipe out this solar system."

"It wouldn't be the first."

"It would be your last." River informed the head.

"A fitting end for the glory of Hydroflax."

"So, why haven't you threatened this before?" the Doctor wondered.

"A king does not endanger his people for no reason."

"You're endangering them now."

"I'm cross."

"Doctor Song, are you there?" Ramone called from outside, banging on the doors, "I have a message for you."

"Ramone! Get in here!" as soon as River had spoken the cyborg kicked the doors opened and stomped inside with Ramone on the top, "Ah!"

"You're going to die!" he cried as the cyborg grabbed River, lifting her off the floor.

"Kill her." Hydroflax's ordered.

"No!"

"Put her down." The Doctor shouted as Star hurried to the console.

"Kill her now!"

"Death initiating." The cyborg stated.

"I'm so sorry." Ramone sobbed.

The Doctor hurried to the doors, shutting them as Star sent them off, making the room shake and the cyborg drop River.

"Where are we going?" the Doctor demanded to know.

"I don't know River set the coordinates!"

"Just get the head!" the woman shouted.  
"People don't tell me what to do anymore!" Star narrowed her eyes.

"Just get the damn head!"

"Fine!" she tossed the head to the Doctor who held the bag out for her before he tossed the bag to River.

"With me!" the three of them ran out of the TARDIS and into a baggage hold.

"Where are we?"  
"This way, come on." River took the Doctor hand and pulled him off with Star behind them.

"What about the box? Stop holding my hand, people don't do that to me."

"Hush now."

"Don't hush me. I'm not a hushing person."

They ran out of the hold, slamming the doors behind them as they found themselves in a posh, marble floored entrance hall with aliens dress smartly.

"We are currently cruising at warp factor twelve." A computer called, "Traversing the fourth galaxy of our seven galaxy cruise. Next is the Andromeda galaxy. Supernova approaching now to starboard."

A blue skinned alien approached them, "Ah, Doctor Song. Your table is ready."

"Flemming!" River greeted, "How are the twins?"

"Still digesting their mother, thank you for asking."

"I'm sure it was a lovely ceremony."

"Oh, there were tears. And just a hint of screaming."

They both laughed heartily.

"Er, Flemming, I wonder, could you deadlock seal the baggage hold for me?" River asked, glancing back at the hold, knowing the Cyborg would be coming after them,

"It's a little irregular." He frowned, "The other passengers might want access."

"Do you remember that time I was transporting dragon eggs?"

"Consider it done." He nodded and quickly locked the door, the light turned from green to red.

"Are the gentleman and lady here for dinner?"

"Yes, they are." The Doctor nodded as Star just groaned, closing her eyes. Of course he didn't know what he had meant.

"Excellent! I'll have the chef prepare them immediately."

"No, you won't."

"Er, they will in fact be joining me to eat." River corrected.

"I was about to suggest that force-feeding might be required. This way. Oh, may I take your bag?"

"Oh, no, no, no, no. That's fine, thanks." River held the bag tighter as the king tried to speak inside.

"Sorry. It was my stomach." The Doctor gave a strained smile, "I have an irritable bowel."

"My revenge will be merciless! I will rip you open and devour you!"

"It's having a day."

"You cannot escape!"

Flemming looked at him oddly before turning, "This way."

"Your actions will not go unpunished!"

"Here." River tossed the bag to the Doctor. "I don't suppose you mind if I freshen up." She pulled out a small spray bottle, and sprayed herself, the energy pinning her hair up and transforming her clothes into a lovely silver and black floor length dress. "Not bad for 200, eh?"

"200?" the Doctor repeated. Yup, she really was his little sister.

"I have an augmented lifespan. Long story."

"So, what's the occasion?" the Doctor asked as they sat at a table made for 4 in the centre of the dining room.

"I've got the diamond. Now it's time to sell it."

"I thought you were returning it to the Halassi?"

"Tell me, were you born boring, or did you have to work at it?"

"He was born boring," Star told her.

"Where did you find a buyer?" the Doctor questioned.

"Look around you." River gestured around the room, "The starship Harmony And Redemption, minimum ticket price one billion credits, plus the provable murder of multiple innocent life forms. Suites are reserved for planet-burners." She took a drink from a passing waiter, "Thank you. Even the staff are required to have a verifiable history of indiscriminate slaughter. This is where genocide comes to kick back and relax. Do try the fish." She finished before sighing, "Why are you frowning?"

The Doctor blinked at her, she hadn't been looking at him, she had been looking down at her lap, "How did you know?"

"It's audible." Star answered for her, taking a drink of her own from another waiter.

"Deadlock seals can be broken".

"By geniuses. Hydroflax has a brain the size of a pea and it's currently under the table." River kicked the bag, "He's gone back to sleep, I think."

"You married him, though."

"I told you, I married the diamond."

"How?"

"I posed as his nurse. Took me a week."

"To fall in love?" Star grimaced.

"It's the easiest lie you can tell a man. They'll automatically believe any story they're the hero of."

"River, there's er, there's something I should probably tell you…"

Star grinned as a humanoid waitress approached the table, cutting the Doctor off, "Doctor Song, your guest has docked. He should be with you in a very few minutes."

"Thank you." She smiled, "Whenever he's ready."

"Of course."

"What's the book?" the Doctor nodded to her TARDIS themed diary she had out.

"Oh, it's my diary. One should always have something sensational to read on a spaceship."

"Is it sad?" Star asked her.

"Why would a diary be sad?"

She shrugged, "the past can hurt." She laughed lightly, "you look sad."

"It's nearly full."

"So?" the Doctor shook his head, "ow!" he cried as she kicked his shin under the table.

River raised an eyebrow at them, "The people who gave me this was the sort who'd know exactly how long a diary you were going to need."

"They sound awful."

"I suppose. I've never really thought about it." She sighed, placing her diary back in her clutch.

"Are they special in your heart?" Star tilted her head, her hearts falling at the womans answer.

"No. But terribly useful every now and then."

"They must feel so loved." Star slumped back in her chair, crossing her arms.

"So, who is this buyer?" the Doctor got them back on topic, seeing Star upset River didn't find them important. To Star River was the most important woman, she had so much love and admiration for her.

"No idea, he just responded to the advert."

They looked up to see a bald man with a diagonal scar running around his face approached. "Which of you is Song?"

"Who wants to know?" the Doctor eyed him.

"I am Scratch."

"Don't need your name." River shook her head, "Are you empowered to purchase?"

"I represent the Shoal of the Winter Harmony."

"Don't care. Don't want to know. I'll need immediate payment. Can you do that?"

"And could you either sit down or fetch us the wine list or something?" again Star kicked his shin under the table as Scratch sat down at the empty seat.

"You have the diamond?" he questioned.

"Of course I have the diamond. Show me the money."

Scratch ran a finger along his scar and his head pulled open where he removed a metal globe from his head.

"Just a thought, you probably shouldn't do that in a restaurant." The Doctor looked put out as River held out a napkin from him to put the globe in

Scratch closed his head again. "Once instructed, this will transfer the necessary funds to whatever account you choose."

"Thank you."

"The diamond."

River placed the bag on the table, "You're going to have to dig for it a bit, but somehow I don't think that's going to be a problem for you."

Scratch got to his feet, "Is this a deception?"

"No. The diamond is in there. This is a public place, there won't be any tricks."

"This is not a public place." The other diners turned to face them, all of them the same species.

"See when you block book like this," Star began, "is the reason no one likes you."

River was still perfectly calm as she continued, "You needn't have bothered. I've brought what you want. Please do assume that I have also taken precautions, and don't do anything that might make me cross and kill you."

"Statement accepted." Scratch nodded, "The diamond is here?"

"The payment, then." River held the globe to the man who opened it and typed on the buttons.

"One hundred billion credits, as we agreed." River tapped a few buttons herself, seeing the transfer, "This accesses all the banks in the galaxy."

"Thank you. Here you go, then. You may need to use a spoon or knitting needle or something."

"Be it known, we do not do this for ourselves."

"I really don't care." She muttered.

"We do it in honour of our distant and loving King, who once visited our world in blood and joy."

"Well, isn't that lovely?"

"We honour thee, we prostrate ourselves in your name, Hydroflax."

"Hydroflax!" the other diners chanted

"For love of thee, we do this thing today. Hydroflax." River who had been unzipping the bag quickly zipped it up again "Give it. Give us the treasure. What is wrong?"

"This more awkward than naming your daughter after your daughter." Star murmured.

"Why do you delay?" Scratch demanded, "We have paid, we will receive."

"Yes, you will." The Doctor slowly stood up with the bag, "Of, by jingo, you will, yes, of course. But obviously, we have to, you know, er, check some…"

"Things." River finished.

"Things. There are things that have to be checked before I get it to you. If we don't check the thing, then the, the…"

"We will receive!" Scratch ordered.

"Yes, you will receive, and here it is. Now, on its way, over this small distance."

"We will receive!"

"Here you go." The Doctor handed him the bag, "And you can have the bag as well."

"You know, it's been lovely, but er, we don't want to intrude on this special moment, so why don't we just leave you with the new baby?"

"You will remain."

"Why?" Star tilted her head.

"I do not like surprises."

"And you making us stay…will what? How do we know you're not going to make us stay so you can make us seem like the bad guys."

"You know what? I just can't stand idly by and let this continue." The Doctor grabbed the bag back and stood on the chair as Star hung her head, "Death has been done this day! Noble blood has been spilled, and our tears will surely follow. The sky shall crack, the ground shall heave, and even the rocks and the stones shall weep their rage. Behold! The head of Hydroflax!" he pulled the head out of the bag, showing it to the hissing diners. "Rest now, sweet prince. Walk amongst us nevermore. Shall we start the bidding at two hundred billion? I'm sorry, Professor Song, but we really couldn't keep this treasure from the truly devout."

"Oh, my apologies to the truly devout." River agreed, standing on her chair.

"And shall we find out who is the most truly devout?"

"This is heresy!" Scratch hissed.

"200 over there!" River pointed to a man at the back.

"250 million by the sweet trolley." The Doctor to a random woman.

"Silence!" Scratch yelled, "This is not our way."

"Well, it doesn't say much for your king if you can't put a price on his head." Star remarked, "Let us see what the king himself has to say." Star ran her nail along the kings cheek, waking him up with a cry.

"Quick!" River grabbed their hand sin her own and made for the door only for Flemming to block their exit.

"Professor Song! Has the food disappointed you?" he inquired politely when the cyborg stomped in, causing the diners to scream and flee as the trio were grabbed by the security guards

"At last, I am whole again." Hydroflax smiled, "Come to me, my body." The body paused and scanned the head, "Well? Put me back."

"Scan in progress." The body called.

"You don't need to scan me, just put me back."

"Tissue deterioration now irreversible."

"Well, what are you going to do about that?"

"Additional, the projectile inside your brain continues to move. Prognosis, death in seven minutes."

"Well, I refuse. King Hydroflax does not accept death."

"Orders requested."

"Whatever I need to survive, do it. Now."

"Orders accepted. You need a new head."

"No!" He yelled, "No. Not a new head!"

"Orders implementing."

"No. No!" it was too late the cyborg blasted the head to dust revealing the diamond.

"I don't suppose you could fetch that over for me, could you?" River whispered to the security guard.

"As I was saying, your Majesty. Well, your remaining Majesty." Flemming snatched Rivers diary making her narrow her eyes, "If it's a new head you're after, this is the guide to the very best."

"Don't touch that." She spat, "Give that back to me."

"The diary of River Song. The ultimate guide to the Time Lords known as the Doctor and Star.

"Don't you dare touch that!"

"Long live the King." He smirked as he opened her diary and began reading it, "The Pandorica Opens. Ooh, that sounds exciting. And goodness me, a picnic at Asgard. Some people really know how to snack, don't they?"

"You should know I have a significant history of escaping." River informed him.

He ignored her, "The Crash of the Byzantium. Didn't they make a movie of that?"

"And when I do, I'm going to kill you."

"Oh, Jim the Fish! Well, we all know Jim the Fish."

"And the longer you spend reading my diary, the longer I'm going to take."

"And you've just been to Manhattan. What planet is that?"

"So do, please, keep going."

"This is irrelevant." The cyborg cut in.

"If I may intrude, your Majesty." Scratch stepped forwards, "The Doctor is a legendary being of remarkable power and an infinite number of faces. His head, I assure you, would be your crowning achievement."

Flemming tapped the cyborgs shoulder to get its attention, "Besides which, many of us on this ship would be happy to see his career cut off, as it were, at the neck."

"Proceed faster, or your head will be taken!" the cyborg warned.

"I would give my head with gladness." Scratch bowed.

"This woman is the known sister of the Doctor." Flemming continued.

"Confirmation required. Uploading."

Nardoles head rose from inside the body, "Ooo. Oh!"

"Is River Song the sister of the Time Lord known as the Doctor?" the body demanded of him.

"Huh?" he blinked at the sudden brightness, "I think so, yeah. Here, can I stay up for a bit? It's really very whiffy down there." He moaned as he was lowered back down again, "Oh! Oh, it's awful!"

"So, where is the Doctor now?" Flemming inquired.

"I haven't the faintest idea." River answered, "him nor Star."

"Is that credible?"

"It's true."

"You're the woman they love."

"No, I'm not." She shook her head.

"She's lying."

"The Doctor and Star do not and has never loved me. I'm not lying."

The pair glanced at each over at that.

The Cyborg scanned River, "Confirmed. The life form is not lying."

"Impossible." Flemming stuttered, "This is a trick."

"No, it isn't." River insisted.

"My information is correct. You are the woman who loves the Doctor and Star."

"Yes, I am. I've never denied it. But whoever said they loved me back? He's the Doctor and shes Star. They don't go around caring and loving people. And if you think they're anything that small or that ordinary, then you haven't the first idea of what you're dealing with."

"Your Majesty, I assure you, she is the perfect bait. When this woman is in danger, the Doctor will always come. And if not him then Star will most certainly…"

"Oh, you are a moron." River rolled her eyes, "No, they won't."

"They're probably already here."

"No, they aren't. Of course they aren't!" River cried.

"Possibly on this ship." Flemming mused.

"Well, go on, scan it then. Go on, why don't you?"

"River" The Doctor whispered, unable to just stand in silence while she said those things. That they didn't love her. They loved her more than anyone.

"Two hearts, stupid clothes, you can't miss them. And check anyone for a dagger and you'll find Star!"

"River." Star nudged her arm this time.

"Go on, scan the whole parsec! He's not here. God knows where he is right now, but I promise you, he's doing whatever the hell he wants and not giving a damn about me! And I'm just fine with that. "

"River." They both hissed on either side of her.

"When you love the Doctor and Star, it's like loving the stars themselves. You don't expect a sunset to admire you back. And if I happen to find myself in danger, let me tell you, neither of them are not stupid enough, or sentimental enough, and they certainly do not care enough to find themselves standing here with me!"

' _We'll just go then,'_ Star called in her mind making River turn to her, "penny in the air."

"Penny drops." The Doctor finished, making River turn to him.

"Hello, sweetie." They smirked at her.

She stared at them but held herself, "You are so getting those roots done."

"What, the roots of the sunset?" he joked.

"Don't you dare."

"We'll have to check with the stars themselves." Star added.

"Oh, shut up. I was just keeping them talking till it kicks off."

"What is this conversation?" the cyborg explained, "Explain."

"You keep out of this." She pointed at him.

"We need to get to work." the Doctor decided.

"Ok, what have you got?"

"Four exits. Two concealed, one in the ceiling."

"And the floor." Star finished.

"No, I don't like it."

"Too close to the engine ducts?" River wondered.

"A bit too tight."

"For a twig?" Star frowned at him.

"Excuse me, what are you talking about?" Flemming interrupted.

"Hush," River hissed at him, "this is a private conversation." And then a clock chimed the hour, "Here we are. Two o'clock. Here we go."

"Cease this conversation." The cyborg ordered.

"Sweetie, in the event of a sudden meteor strike on the lower starboard decks, where would you say is the safest place to stand?"

"Meteor strikes?" Flemming shook his head.

"Exactly here" Star nodded.

"Do you know what that isn't? A coincidence." She smirked.

"Your escape plan." The Doctor realised as the room before to shake.

"It's cheaper than a taxi."

"What meteor strike?" Scratch demanded.

"Alert. Meteor storm imminent." The computer called.

"That meteor strike." Star deadpanned.

"How could you know?" Flemming stared at River.

"I'm an archaeologist from the future. I dug you up. See you in 400 years."

The floor below collapsed sending them dropping to the entrance hall.

"I had this book." River grinned at them, "History's Finest Exploding Restaurants. The best food for free. Skip the coffee."

"What do you think, by the way?" the Doctor laughed at her.

"Of what?"

"Our new regenerations."

"Not bad," she nodded, "how have you got a new one, by the way? Aren't there rules?"

"A thing happened." He waved her off.

"I bet it probably did."

"A good thing," Star assured her, "depending on how you look at it."

"Oi!" he pouted.

"Starboard decks compromised. Please abandon ship." the computer called.

"The diamond!" River gasped, glancing up to see if it would fall with the dust of the kings head.

"This diamond?" she smirked, holding it in her hands.

"Oh, you…" River smirked making to snatch it only for Star to pull it back.

"You never see me coming."

"We need to get this ship stabilised." The Doctor told them, "Where's the bridge?"

"This way." River turned only for the cyborg to drop down.

"We also need to stop that."

"Well I won the bet," Star remarked.

"Bet?" River looked between the, "what bet?"

"A bet to see how long it'd take you."

The Doctor winced as River looked at them, very insulted and angry and being used in their bets, "I'll take the robot, you drive."

"Good. Star with me." River took her head and they hurried up the stairs.

"Oh, don't stop for strangers!" the Doctor shouted after them.

"That's ok," she called back down, as they headed to the bridge, "That was always you!"

"Come on!" River took her hand and led her off.

~.~

"Nice sonic," Star commented as River used her trowel on the controls, the room now empty as all crew had ran for it since the announcement of the meteor.

"Nice jacket," she returned turning to face her, "Something you need to talk about?"

Star let out a breath, of course River would know. River always knew, "yeah," she glanced back as the Doctor ran in.

"Where's everyone else?" he wondered finding just the two of them.

"They ran for it." River told him, "So should we."

"We need to get the navcom back online. And re-route the thrusters."

"I'm trying."

"Please abandon ship." The computer called.

"So, King Hydroflax?" Star smirked, leaning again the console, arms crossed as she looked at River.

"Oh, how many times?" she rolled her eyes, "I married the diamond."

"So you say." The Doctor muttered.

"Elizabeth the First." She glared at him.

"Ramone."

"Marilyn Monroe."

"Stephen Fry."

"Cleopatra!"

"And I'll just continue being too innocent for all this fake weddings," Star cut in, with a mocking grin.

The Doctor scoffed at that, "yeah, real innocent."

"Hang on a minute." River frowned at the dusty red planet below, "I recognise that planet."

"Well, that's nice. Maybe they'll name the crater after us."

"That's Darillium!"

Star casted a quick look down at the planet, drawling, "It's always nice to know he destination. Maybe today we'll actually go where we're promised."

"Could you concentrate on your work, please?" the Doctor interrupted, not wanting to think of the planet. He'd been putting it off for a reason.

"You know, the Singing Towers." River continued.

"Yes, I'll be sure to give them a wave as we zoom past."

"You always say you're going to take me there for dinner and then you always cancel at the last minute."

"I'd quite like to cancel this time too, if at all possible."

They stumbled, grabbing onto whatever they could as a bang went off.

"What are you doing?" River frowned as the sonic flashed the sonic at the console, "That's the internal teleport."

"Yes. I can use the power cell to boost the thrusters." He uncoiled the blue cables, handing one to River.

"Well, I don't see what good this will do."

"Sorry, River. Crashing spaceships, that's my job." He winced as the woman faded, teleporting into the TARDIS.

Star crossed her arms as she calming looked at the Doctor, "she's so gonna slap you."

"Are you just going to stand there or are you going to help?" he grumbled, "more power. Come on, you can do it."

Star just watched bemused, not getting involved, as River materialised the TARDIS around the man, both pushing their way out before the other, arguing.

"Seriously!" Star snapped at the pair, seeing the planet growing closer, at how little time they had left. "Both of you back in!"

They looked at each other at Star bossing them around but seeing just how close they were and doing as told, the three rushing inside.

The impact sending the flying around the console.

"Oh that's worse than Me trying to pilot," Star groaned as she pulled herself to her feet via the console, glancing over to see the Doctor moving to Rivers side, the woman still unconscious thanks to her human DNA. The girl was really bad at piloting, worse than the Doctor. She read the manual, but because the console was different to the image in the book it was rather rough. And some of the buttons and knobs looked very similar.

"Indestructible as ever." He murmured, seeing she was fine. "Married the diamond." He scoffed picking it up from where it had fallen to the floor, "don't take notes."

"Oh don't worry I'll leave the marriages to you," Star remarked, stretching from the fall, "unless it's fake to get people to shut up. Pathetic little fools," she added under her breath.

"I'm not going to ask," he shook his head peaking his head out of the doors at the burning wreckage. They were definitely the only survivors. He closed the doors again and moved them forwards a few hours and heading back out where the wreckage was still burning but not as much as a crew of men had arrived searching for survivors.

"Hello? Sir." One of the men in a hard hat rushed over, "The ship, it came down. Did you see it?"

"Yes, I did." He nodded.

"I've been searching for survivors."

"I doubt if you'd find any." Star crossed her arms, looking around the place.

"And I don't think any of them would be worth it, if that's a comfort." The Doctor added, "Brave of you to try, though. Well done."

The man eyed them both, "Thank you?"

"Well, I don't think we can back out of this trip to the Singing Towers." Star nodded to the two tall pillars standing against the flat rusty landscape.

"It's just the wind, ma'am."

"The Singing Towers of Darrilum." The Doctor sighed, "Here we are at last."

"Sir?"

"You know what? They should build a restaurant right here, with a view of those towers. You could make a lot of money that way. You should do that."

"You'd need a lot of money to begin with, sir."

The Doctor rolled his eyes and held up the diamond, "The Halassi Androvar. I think you'll find that the reward is pretty substantial." He dropped it into the stunned mans hand.

"Why would you give me this, sir?"

"Did we not just say about a restaurant?" Star shook her head as they headed back inside the TARDIS were River was still unconscious. She knelt before the woman as the Doctor piloted them again, nipping out again for a minute.

There was no backing out now. They were already of Darrillum.

~.~

"The old girl laid this out for me," Star muttered as she walked back into the console dressed in a black velvet dress, slightly off shoulder long sleeves, quite fitting that flared out near her feet, a similar effect to a mermaid tail, her hair up in a fancy bun with a silver clip on the front.

"Yeah well, she probably doesn't want you messing up the wardrobe to find something," the Doctor remarked as he stood in a black suit and tie. River having woken up when they had been getting changed and gone out into the restaurant where they had a table booked onto balcony overlooking the towers.

"That was never actually me."

"It wasn't?"

She smiled sadly at him as they stepped out into the restaurant and making their way down to the table, "afraid not."

"So it was Clara who always made a mess?"

"She still does."

He nodded, understanding that Clara was still travelling with Star and Ashildr.

"So Ramone you have a metal body now." River smirked as she stood before one of her many husband as he stood before the table before the balcony, still using the red robot body but they had found him in the wreckage, all of the bad parts gone and so got him the job here, with Nardole's heads.

"Ew," Star grimaced making River turn to them, "that's just...ew."

"Quite," the Doctor pulled a face.

"Now that, is how you dress fancy," River nodded to them both recalling their previous regenerations clothing. She herself had changed her dress. Now in a sequinned red gown with a feather collar.

"I, er, saved this." Star thrusted Rivers diary in her hands.

"Happy Christmas." The Doctor offered pulling a small box from his jacket pocket and handing it to her.

"Really? I don't think you've ever given me a present before." He eyed him suspiciously as she opened it to reveal his old sonic screwdriver, "Oh, it's a sonic screwdriver! How lovely!"

"When I saw the sonic trowel, I thought it was just embarrassing, but, look..." he took the sonic and showed her how it lit up.

"Oh, thank you."

"You look, er, amazing."

"Doctor, you have no idea whether I look amazing or not. But it's sweet of you to try."

"I like the feathers thingy," Star gestured to it, "did you pluck the bird yourself. Because that's just..."

"Disturbing," the Doctor cut in.

"I was gonna say awesome."

"So what do you think?" The Doctor continued leading the way to the balcony, "The Singing Towers."

"Oh. The music." River smiled gazing at them as the sun set behind them, "Listen to it." She glanced over at the pair only to frown, "Are you crying?"

"No." The Doctor blinked, "Just the wind."

"Nothing's ever just the wind."

"No? It blows through the cave system and harmonises with the crystal layer."

"Why are you sad?"

"Why are you sad?" Star countered.

"I told you, my diary's nearly full." She tried to shrug it off.

"Don't write them all down." She knew River didn't write every meeting of theirs down, some were just little lunches out, or birthdays. It was like the Doctors last birthday, they had gone to see River, but she hadn't mentioned anything, clearly she hadn't done it yet. And there was nothing in the diary. Clearly not everything was written down, just the larger adventures.

"I worry, Star."

"Hakuna Matata."

She smiled at her. Hakuna Maratha, it means no worries. "There are stories about us, you know."

"Oh, I dread to think." The Doctor groaned.

"I look them up sometimes."

"You really shouldn't do that."

"Some of them suggest that the very last night we spend together is at the Singing Towers of Darillium. That wouldn't be true, would it?"

"Spoilers." He offered.

"Oh. Well, that would explain why you kept cancelling coming here. Do you remember that time! When there were two of you. Because I want you to know that if this is the last night, I expect you to find a way round it."

"Not everything can be avoided." He sighed, "Not forever."

"But you're you. There's always a loophole. You wait until the last minute and then you spring it on me."

"Every night is the last night for something."

"Every Christmas is the last Christmas." Star murmured.

"But you will." River insisted, "You'll wait until I've given up hope. All will be lost, and you'll do that smug little smile and then you'll save the day. You always do."

"No, I don't. Not always. Times end, River, because they have to. Because there's no such thing as happy ever after. It's just a lie we tell ourselves because the truth is so hard."

"No, Doctor, you're wrong. Happy ever after doesn't mean forever. It just means time. A little time. But that's not the sort of thing you could ever understand, is it?"

"What do you think of the towers?" Star cut in.

"I love them."

"Then why are you ignoring them?"

"Why are you?" She shot back.

"Seen them before," she waved off.

"You have?" Both of them stared at her.

"Oops. Spoilers."

River shook her head. God knows what secrets that girl is keeping nowadays, she didn't really wanna know, "you can't expect a monolith to love you back."

"No, you can't." The Doctor agreed, "They've been there for millions of years, through storms and floods and wars and time. Nobody really understands where the music comes from. It's probably something to do with the precise positions, the distance between both towers. Even the locals aren't sure. All anyone will ever tell you is that when the wind stands fair and the night is perfect, when you least expect it but always when you need it the most there is a song."

"So, assuming tonight is all we have left."

"I didn't say that."

"How long is a night on Darillium?"

"24 years." Star smirked

"I hate you both." River laughed.

"No, you don't." The Doctor grinned.

"So what's the sad face for?" River asked once it was just the two of them, the Doctor had gone back to the TARDIS, well, more they had forced him back needing a girl-to-girl conversation, assuring him it was nothing for him to worry about.

"We found a way to save Gallifrey," Star swallowed giving River the quick version and holding up her hands to silence her before she tried to congratulate or warn of spoilers, "ended up there, I got my own TARDIS. I'm with um," she found it safer to ignore Ashildr for the moment, "Clara, the previous companion. She…I messed up, River," she sniffled, "I did a bad thing and as a result led to her death. She's… she's living on her last heartbeat right now and dad…he can't remember her. I messed up so much and I can't…" she shook her head that was all she could manage to say.

"And you won't talk about it because you won't let him see the damage," she sighed, understanding.

If she thought being known across the universe as being the Doctors sister was tough then she couldn't even imagine how strong Star had to be when know as he daughter.

She was a strong girl.


	13. A tense reunion

It wasn't fair.

She had run off in the other stolen TARDIS to get away from this hell not to go for a holiday and then get dragged back because the Time Lords had hijacked her TARDIS bringing it back and taking it back to the repair shop while the guard sent her to this room. She wasn't sure if she was here as prisoner or a guest or what at first. It didn't take long to figure out she was a prisoner despite not being in a cell, instead she was in the rather formal chamber in the Citadel. She got her three meals sent up always at the same time by the same guards who didn't even open the door to bring it in. She didn't always eat it, how was she to know it wasn't poison? The door was always locked from the outside and she knew the guards were waiting for her to try and make her escape.

She supposed that's what happened when you sent the president away, she may have also spat in the General face. But the woman was asking for it.

She would always be asking for it.

And least she didn't kill her this time.

Sighing she peered down at the locals below. These people, they were alive because of her.

She wondered just how many of them actually knew what the council did behind their backs, did they know she was here? How many even knew that she and the Doctor had even come back last time?

And what did she get in return?

She got dragged back despite promising she would do one day when they wanted.

But no the stubborn jerks couldn't wait that long and so had forced them back, taken her TARDIS from her (did they not know how hard she worked for that) and then to make matters worse had taken both Ashildr and Clara from her.

Both were now back in their own timelines and she was all alone. Both of them were dead, well, she could only assume that Ashildr was seeing as how close the end of the universe was when she left.

She couldn't even call the Doctor or Missy.

Even if she could she didn't know who she'd prefer to talk to. Missy would be mad for leaving her on Skaro and the Doctor, well, they'd hadn't spoken since they had said goodbye in Utah.

She heard the door open and caught the reflection of short hair and bright green eyes in the window, "what part of I don't want to see anyone is so hard you and the president to understand."

"You have been given a week, Star." Marcella responded, her hands clasped behind her back. "The president is growing impatient."

"Then why won't they come and see me themselves?" Star smirked.

"The president believes that as your old academy room-sharer you'd be more likely to speak to me than themselves."

"Must be nice, not having to make your own decisions, to do as someone else tells you to do. Do you want to know the worst thing about being in charge?" Star rounded on her and continued before she could answer, "it's that to succeed you have to betray your friends and family."

"Your human was on her last heartbeat. Even you knew she had to face her death."

"You could have at least a let me say goodbye!" She yelled.

"The president couldn't let that chance pass. She assumed you'd try something."

"'Assumed'? You can't just assume anything! You don't know me anymore, Kikashe! You can't speak for me!"

"I can't speak for you, but if it was not for me you would not have this comfort."

Star rolled her eyes at the stubborn girl. She was nearly as stubborn as her. Almost. Not quite there yet. "What do you want, Marcella?" She doubted she had been called back just to send Clara to her death.

"There is something else," she admitted, "something for you..."

"Which is?" Star pressed.

"You are to stop meddling with other people and planets."

"Meddling?" She scoffed, "is that's what you lot think it is? Sorry if I see someone in danger and 'oh, I could keep them living a few more years.' Sorry if you lot think it's a bad thing."

"I'm merely passing on the message," Marcella remarked.

"Then you can pass on my own message. Tell the president they can…"

~.~

"I am merely passing on her message, Madame," Marcella hung her head in the council chamber, the two of them alone as the president paced before her, grumbling bitterly.

The president paused and asked; "are the guards still there?"

"Yes...but I told them to leave her room unlocked. She won't leave, Madame," she added quickly as the woman's look darkened," she would have done it by now." She swallowed under the woman's glare but held herself, "Star will not be a nuisance to you, Madame."

While the woman wanted Star on the planet to keep out of trouble, for their own sakes, would it not be easier to just banish the girl from the planet? They did what they had to do to survive, maybe banishing a few people wouldn't be the worst thing.

~.~

Star twirled her dagger in her hands. It was comfort with it between her fingers, she didn't know why, didn't want to think about that as she twirled it around before smirking as a plan appeared in her mind and she opened the large doors, the guards quickly turning to her.

~.~

The guards closed the doors behind her as Marcella re-entered Stars chambers.

"You wished to see me?" Her meeting with the president had been cut short as a guard had rushed in. Star had required to speak with Marcella again. She had come straight up before she changed her mind. "Star." She took a step towards the girl as she stood with her back to her standing with her head low, hair covering the sides of her face before she quickly spun, overpowering Marcella, pinning her against the wall, dagger to her neck. Not deep enough to draw blood, but enough so it was uncomfortable. Enough to keep her quiet. Maybe leaving a mark.

And that was how they stayed as Marcella didn't try to fight herself free as she looked at her oldest and best friend with sadness and sorrow as Star glared at her, her hand steady with the blade against her neck.

It was the deaths of the humans that had caused this. It was everything all merging together. Everything she had seen and done and been though. All emotion she had kept hidden away, instead of seeping out in small amounts Star let everything out at once.

And this was her fault. She had told sweet innocent little Nova to toughen up in the Academy. She had told her to not be weak. To hide her emotions to keep herself alive. To keep distance. She had turned her into who she was.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Star thrusted Marcella against the wall again before she pulled herself away, throwing the dagger to the wall above the bed, leaving it pinned there horizontally.

This wasn't what she wanted. She had never wanted this. She had never wanted to become this. This...monster! The monster the universe feared. This never used to be her. She used to be so innocent and full of life. If only her first regeneration could she her now. She'd run for the mountains. Even her dagger was meant to just be self-defence, not to kill just for fun.

"Get me out of this place," Star begged.

"I can't. I'm to get you to stay."

"Why? What's in it for you?"

Nothing. Absolutely nothing at all. She was just doing as she was ordered. It was naive to think that maybe if she did what she was told and did it well, maybe one day she could be president like she always wanted. But that wasn't real life

"It's part of my job."

"What exactly is your job?" Star narrowed her eyes.

"To do what the president asks of me."

"Even if it goes against everything you were."

She swallowed, wanting say something, anything to use as an excuse, but nothing came, "yes."

Star advanced on her, murmuring in her ear so the guards couldn't hear, "I could get you out of here. You could make your own rules. Do what you want, when you want." She pulled back slightly, her icy blue eyes met Marcella's bright green, "you could be president. Granted, it would only be of Earth," she turned and headed to the far wall behind the bed and pulling her dagger from the wall, "but president all the same. Anything you say, they'll do. Kate is such a push over and I'll be by your side. Always, forever."

She shook her head, "I can't." She insisted before sighing. Star just wanted to get of the planet that had caused her so much misery. She had no need to stay where she wasn't wanted. She had nobody left here who cared about her, well, maybe one person. But one person wasn't enough to make someone stay where they didn't want to. "meet me outside, below this room. 5 minutes."

"And just how am I supposed to get down there?" Star smirked. None of these people knew exactly what she was capable off.

"You'll think of something," she called as she left, robes billowing behind her, leaving Star smirking.

~.~

Marcella paced as she stood outside besides the building, waiting for Star. Oh, she was so dead if someone found out she was helping Star leave. The one thing she was told not to do under any circumstances. This was probably a mistake. They'd get caught, they'd be killed…or worse.

This was a bad idea.

"Well, well, well," a voice drawled from above, "you weren't kidding."

She looked up to see Star leaning out of the window above. Was she going to betray her? No, of course she wouldn't. She wouldn't do that. Not to her. Would she?

She hoped not.

"I thought you would have told on me."

She turned to see Star leaning against the wall, smirking, arms crossed.

"Most gasp or run scared." Star added seeing her surprised that she had been in the chambers just seconds ago and was now down before her.

"Why?" She blinked.

She blinked back at her, "because I was up there," she vaguely pointed up, "and now here," she softly jumped on the spot. "Most are surprised and shocked, some even run screaming."

"You once knocked me unconscious with a book by your mind," Marcella deadpanned, recalling those events perfectly in her mind, "nothing you do could ever surprise me anymore."

She smirked at her, "Is that a challenge?"

Marcella rolled her eyes, tossing a bundle of fabric to Star who caught it, holding it in disgust, "put it on and keep your head down."

"I'm not wearing it. It's red."

"Imagine it as wearing the blood of your enemies." Star paused, imagining it, "we do not have time for this. You either wear it or get back in your room. So. Put. It. On." She ordered.

"Er, yes, ma'am." She stuttered, fumbling to throw it on, pulling a face as Marcella nodded.

~.~

"What are you two doing 'ere?" A stern demanding voice called.

The pair stopped dead as they walked through the TARDIS farms.

"Keep your head down and shut up," Marcella hissed before she turned to the bald elderly man, speaking clearly and confidently, "we have been instructed by the president to find anything of Stars. A bribe, for her."

"Is that so?" He eyed them, squinting at the girl with dark hair covering her face.

"I believe her TARDIS was stolen from the museum?" Marcella inquired politely.

"Yes. 3rd on the right."

"Excellent. I shall inform the president of you help." She bowed to him as she and Star quickly walked off. The man stared after them, eying them in distrust.

"And if he gets in contact with the president?" Star whispered once he was out of hearing.

"She won't believe him."

"She'd believe you over him?"

"Absolutely." She nodded firmly, "I worked hard to get where I am."

~.~

"Stop right there!"

Marcella stopped dead as they stood in the TARDIS museums, hearing the president yelling after them. She turned to find the woman standing at the entrance flanked with two armed guards.

"Madame President!" She gasped, "wha...what are you doing here?"

"I think a better question would've be what are you doing here? Did I not make myself quite clear what would happen if you betrayed me?"

"Yes," she hung her head as the two guards aimed their weapons at her, "yes, you did."

"Well, now that the easy way is finished," Star interrupted, pulling Marcella in closer, dagger to the girls neck as she gasped as the suddenness, "thank you so much for you cooperation, cutie. But now I have to keep you close." She winked just enough for Marcella to be the only one to notice.

"Star." The president looked at her, "I'd advise you stay out of this. You're in a worse situation than your old friend."

"We're not friends," Marcella cut in, wincing as the dagger was pressed further.

 _'It slipped,'_ Star grumbled in her mind.

Marcella didn't quite believe her.

"Star, you can't either let her go and this can be quick or it can be slow and painful for the both of us."

"No, mine!" Star glared, pulling Marcella behind her, eying the armed guards, "you can't have her!"

"What exactly are you doing?" Marcella hissed. Star was always the clingy one of the pair.

"Just stay still and look pretty. So let me get this straight," she spoke to the president, "you forced me back, only to lock me away, none of you wanting to see me. You force poor Mars here to do what you want while you cower away and send her to speak to me face-to-face and then when you don't get what you want you try to kill her? How stupid could you possibly get?"

The guards glanced at the president for her reaction but she just stared, stone cold.

"For your life..." The president continued but Star cut her off.

"For my life," she mocked, beginning to rummage through her jacket pockets, "oh boo hoo. You've been standing here for 5 minutes and not one of us is dead. I am actually shocked!"

"You TARDIS key was removed from your person immediately upon your arrival," one of the guards informed Star eying her as she moved from her jacket pockets and into her pants pockets.

"Yeah, knew that, dude," she muttered, she had gathered that from when she saw that her dagger had been removed from her pocket and had been set on the table in her room. She was looking for plan B.

"Marcella," the president shook her head at her, "I was waiting for the right time to tell you, but I wanted you to be my proceeder."

The girl gaped over at her, "what?" She could be the next president of Gallifrey. Her dreams, her life work. All of it could be hers.

"But now, I banish you! For aiding and offending a renegade! You are banished! Never to step foot in the Capitol again! Not a friend in the world. To life forever alone..."

"No..." She shook her head, "please. You can't...I worked so hard. I...I, please. Don't..."

"Then you shall be incinerated," the president turned her back and walked off as the two guards prepared to fire...

Star pulled out her vortex manipulator, grabbed hold of Marcella's wrist and slammed her hand down. The pair disappeared as the shots were fired.

~.~

"What?!"

The Doctor looked up sharply from where he stood at the console as the two girls suddenly appeared before him, "what did you do?"

"Got kidnapped, tried to escape, held at gunpoint, lost my TARDIS," Star listed casting him a quick glance before turning her full attention to Marcella, the girl having crumbled to the floor from the teleport, it was a rough way to travel especially when not fully expecting it, "Marcella, I am so sorry, I never meant to get you into this mess..."

"Banished..." the girl just managed to choke out, staring blankly in shock, "I'm banished...from Gallifrey..."

"I know..." Star swallowed thickly, her mind racing with things to say but nothing would help. If anything she'd only make it worse.

Like she always did...

~.~

"I made coffee," the Doctor spoke as he gently pushed open the door of Stars room where she had gone after silently sending Marcella to one of the guest rooms (the girl hadn't been heard from since) and hadn't said a word, leaving him without any answers as to why she was back so suddenly and with a friend.

"I don't want coffee," Star mumbled, turning to lay on her stomach, face in her pillow.

"I didn't make it you for I made it for myself."

She lifted her head up to look at him as he moved to sit on the edge of her bed holding only one mug, "then why bother telling me you made it," she huffed, irritated. Could he not see she wanted to be alone after a long week in hell?

He took a sip, "it got you to talking, didn't it?"

She growled, tossing the pillow in his direction as he ducked and it landed by the door. "You know what?" She asked turning into her back and glaring at him, "you wanna know who I want to talk to? I want to talk to Clara but guess what! I can't because I led her to her death."

He nodded slowly. Clara Oswald the previous companion was is now just a blank in his memory. A faceless ghost who he knew nothing about. He couldn't even mourn her, he only had Star to tell on how good she was (and she could easily be lying) how could he mourn an empty face?

"I just..." Star sighed, "I just want to be alone and surround myself with guilt and sadness and just cry for a bit." She looked over at him, "I might need a coffee to rehydrate myself."

"Jeez what did you last slave die of?" He joked getting up to make her her own coffee and maybe bring some cake or something. She'd be hungry by then.

"She got swallowed by the end of the universe...I'm joking!" She added as she noticed him staring in concern, "jeez..."

"Coffee." He nodded leaving her alone. He knew better than anyone that if Star asked to be alone to be sad it was best to let her be. She'd bounce back to her normal self in a few hours. In the meantime he had an extra guest to deal with...

~.~

The Doctor knocked on the guest room door Marcella was in, if he had to make coffee for Star, may as well offer for her.

"Doctor," Marcella greeted as she opened the door.

"Marcella," he returned, "I was sent to make coffee." She stared at him, unsure why he had come just to tell her something. "Do you want one?"

"Oh! Oh, no, that's alright, I'm not a big fan of coffee."

"Right. Alright, I just thought I'd ask."

"Thanks. Um, Doctor!" She called as he turned to leave, "thank you, for allowing me to stay after the sudden arrival."

"No problem," he smiled. "Just like old times, eh."

"Do you think...do you think Star will forgive me?"

"For what?"

"For being part of the reason she lost her TARDIS and lost her friends."

So Marcella thought Star hated her and Star thought Marcella hated her. Interesting.

"I think," he began carefully, "she's forgive you if you forgive her."

"But I don't have a reason to blame her for anything?" She frowned.

"And maybe she feels the same way," he shrugged.

~.~

Marcella snapped her eyes open as the room door burst open from where she sat against the headboard of the bed she sat on as Star barged in.

"I have had about 5 expressos in under 1 hour," the girl exclaimed loudly, "which is pretty much the only reason I'm here in the first place. Far too much caffeine in short time. But pyjamas!" She held up a small bundle of fabric, "I didn't know what kind you'd prefer so I just assumed you'd want something similar to the night robes back on Gallifrey that's right...I just assumed something about you."

"Was there alcohol in them?" Marcella asked cautiously as Star tossed her the fabric and she caught it in her arm, setting it aside on the bed.

"Nope! Just far too much caffeine."

"Is that the reason for..." she looked up and down at Stars selected pyjamas, a bright orange all-in-one of fluff, like a fox, tail and hood included. Must be warm in there, "whatever it is you're wearing?"

"What is wrong with this onesie?" She huffed, "it's comfortable and warm and I look fine as hell!"

"Still got that enormous ego then?" She checked, changing into the nightdress. She didn't know if Star just didn't care she was changing before her or just wasn't paying enough attention. It the girl didn't turn her back. And after nearly 400 years of changing before each other in the academy you tended to figure things like this.

"Is not THAT big!" She defended. Marcella scoffed. Star lowered her head, "it is that big." She inhaled sharply, "coffee. I need more coffee."

"You just said you had 5 espressos in an hour," Marcella reminded her.

"It's bed time for most. You had a bad day. I just delivered the nightdress."

"Stay." Marcella called a Star turned to head off. Whether to actually get more coffee or just to use that as an excuse she wasn't sure. It seemed like the drink was addicting.

Star glanced back, unsure if she had heard correctly or if it was just all in her head, "what?"

"Stay. Please. I'd like you to stay tonight."

"Why?"

She shrugged, "strange place I've never been before. New bed. New room." she swallowed thickly, "new life."

"You can have a better one." Star interrupted. "Room. A better room." it was too late to fix her life now.

"Maybe tomorrow." She smiled softly, "so...?"

"Ok." Star agreed moving to lay down besides Marcella on the blue sheets, "but if I keep you awake it is not my fault."

"I'm sure you can bore me to sleep."

"Rude." Star huffed but rolled to her side, eyes shut, snuggling closer to the girl who had been her best friend. The only person who knew everything about her, had done so much and seen so much with her.

Yes, Marcella was her favourite person.

She didn't want her to leave again.

Even if it was her fault she was here.

 **Ok so first ever original chapter. i was actually really nervous about posting this, still am. I kept putting the posting back, but I think its alright. Im happy with it. And we will be back in series 10, with Bill! Yay!**


	14. For tonight we might die

Star slouched in the random bean bag in a small section of the TARDIS wardrobe as Marcella got out of those ridiculous Gallifreyan robes. There was no way she was going to go travelling the universe with her wearing that. It probably wouldn't end very well with the rest of the universe especially considering not everyone knew that Gallifrey had returned, out of the way, but still back.

Marcella was taking ages to find something to wear and honestly she didn't know why. She had been expecting her to throw on any old thing and be done with it.

Her arm shot up before she knew what was happening, catching the large turtle neck jumper Marcella threw over the screen.

"I feel like your being picky on purpose." She murmured, watching as a pair of brown boots were kicked away.

"That jumper was itchy!" She called from the other side of the screen, "and those boots didn't fit. How is this?"

Star looked over as Marcella stepped into view. Dressed in simple black pants, with a white button up shirt, black knee high boots, a long red trench coat and a brown belt around her waist over the coat.

"Whoa..."

"Is the belt too much?" She glanced down at her outfit.

"Oh, no," Star shook her head, "it's just..." she smirked instantly recognising who she was reminded off in that outfit, "I think you need a little something else." She struggled out of the beanbag, silently cursing herself to have sat in it as she scrambled out and over to the hat area, grinning as she found a large floppy red hat with a black and white feather and rushing over placing it on Marcella's head.

The girl blew the feathers out of her face, "bit over extravagant is it not?" She frowned.

"Nothing's too extravagant."

"I'm not wearing it." She refused, tossing the hat aside as Star pouted, there went that plan.

"But...badass...pirate."

Marcella paused and stared at her at that, "it makes me look like a pirate doesn't."

"OOh, god yes. A really pretty pirate to which everyone would fall victim too." She smirked, Marcella had always been a pirate King in her mind. She was a leader, a ruler, one Star would followed. "Captain Hook."

"i know just how bad a pirate Captain Hook is, Star," Marcella shot her a dark look, "i have actually read Peter Pan."

"But are you better than Captain Jack Sparrow?" Star grinned.

"I have no idea who that is."

"Oh, I just remembered!" Her eyes widened as she remembered what she had arranged all morning, "I want to show you something."

"Er...ok." She frowned but didn't argue as Star took her hand and tugged her out of the wardrobe, the room resetting and tidying up automatically as they left, heading down the maze of corridors that Star seemed to have memories over the years.

"Where are we going?" Marcella questioned.

"Patience. It won't be a surprise if I tell you." She turned and covered Marcella eyes with her hands.

"Star, we are not at this place in our friendship again for these childish antics."

It had only been a few days since the fiasco on Gallifrey where they were now banished, she had spent most of the time in her room, well, the guest room, Star offered to give her a room more to her personality but she was never felt quite up to it. Soon though, she just needed a bit more time to process that she didn't have anywhere else to go. Not that she particularly minded, she liked it with Star. Neither of them could have changed that much that they ended up hating each other.

"Just...wait," she grinned. Oh, this was going to be so brilliant. Marcella would definitely love this. She opened the door slowly leading Marcella into the middle of the room and removed her hands.

Marcella gasped, slowly spinning around to look at the room. A dance studio.

Wooden, no slip floors, mirrors along three of the walls with horizontal poles at waist height, a glass ceiling letting in natural sunlight, a music player at one wall.

"You didn't..." she breathed, staring at the room in amazement.

"I know how much you love dancing," Star murmured, "and I don't know how to make it up to you that I destroyed your life so..."

"You didn't destroy it."

Star stared at her long and slow but didn't say anything more in the subject. "Do you like the room?"

She smiled softly, running her hands over the poles against the walls, "no..." Stars face fell, "I love it. Thank you."

She always loved to dance, ever since she was a little girl. Her mother used to love dancing and she wanted to keep her memory on, even centuries after she had died. But the Academy never really saw anything educational about dancing and so it was very rarely she got to enjoy it. They had music rooms but it wasn't supported as much as the other subjects. Meaning she and Star tended to dance alone in their room.

Star hadn't been a very good dancer and used to watch her dance from her bed until she had gotten bored and asked her to teach her to dance. How could she say no teaching her best friend to do the thing she loved. Cue to young girls spending most of their evenings dancing alone in their room when they should have been studying.

And then there was the bruising and battered feet but it was definitely worth it. Dancing with Star used to calm her down when studying got stressful.

She blinked and looked over to see Star by the music player, a soft tune playing. "What are you doing?" She asked quietly as Star made her way over.

"I'm a little rusty," she admitted, "its pointless dancing with anyone but you."

"Oh..."

"But it has saved my life a few times."

"How has dancing saved your life?" Marcella laughed lightly at that. She was certainly she was only saying that to get her to laugh, but then again she wasn't sure with Star.

"Dancing with a ruler," she smirked, "if they like it, they let you live." She bowed, a hand out to Marcella, "may I?"

Marcella smirked, taking her hand, "i'm leading though."

"Naturally."

When they had been dancing in their dormitory it had always been Marcella leading and Star following, that would never change, she wouldn't allow it.

She smiled as they interlocked fingers, Star following as Marcella led. She always used to do lead having been taught herself to follow when she had the chance to teach someone else she had been so insistent that she got to lead, Star had never complain loving how she took charge of the dance, showing her what to do. I've missed you, Kikashe." Star whispered.

It had been far too long that she had had to deal with only her dad as someone who understood her pain and lose and even then he never spoke about it leaving her to keep it quiet, the humans could never fully understand, feel sorry for her, yes, but never understand. Not like Marcella.

"I've missed you too, Nova." Marcella murmured, closing her eyes as Star rested her head on her shoulder, as she always ended up doing.

~.~

Marcella let her hand drift over the spines of the book that were left in the bookshelf on the upper gallery of the console room, looking over them all, "all in English?" She moved and peered down the railings at Star who was changing a knob on the console.

"Most of them are Clara's favourites." She murmured.

"Right." She blinked. Probably not a good question to ask. "Fan of Jane Austen, was she?" She eyed the collection of books on one self, she wasn't sure if it was intentional that they were in date order.

"Oh god yes," she laughed lightly, recalling how Clara hated it when the Doctor thought he knew the writer better than herself, "they used to have prank war multiple times a day." She leaned her back against the console, leaning her head back, "God they really loved each other."

Marcella frowned down at her, see the smile in her face at the memories of Clara, a good reminder of a happier time. Ok so clearly Clara was more than just a typical human companion. They obviously had some before her, the Doctor was always picking up humans, there was a record of those known on Gallifrey, a couple had their memories wiped. This time the Doctor had had his memories wiped.

"So, anyway," Star snapped her head up to look at her, moving to the keyboard, "UNIT, need to talk with Kate."

"You really don't have to do this," Marcella remarked, heading down to join her.

This whole speaking to Kate Stewart who was apparently in charge of UNIT. The woman who had placed the Doctor as president of the planet for alien invasions and now Star was trying to change that so she could be the president just because that was what she had spent her whole life doing so, granted she only wanted to be president for Stars sake, she didn't need to know that.

"But I want to." She smiled, "it's the least I can do, and besides dad hates being president. He agreed when I mentioned it to him. He knows you'd be a good president."

"Really?" She blinked. Well that made a handful of people who thought she'd make a good president, just the entire council to go.

"Uh huh. And he's just happy he doesn't have to do it anymore." She frowned at that. Now she mentioned it, she hadn't seen or heard from him all day. "He's even got a plane. Not that I'm allowed on it."

"Why?"

"Er, I may have regenerated on it and he may have blamed Missy."

"Oh!" Her eyes widened at that, "you never told him." She gasped, "Star how did you keep that quiet."

Something they had done at the very beginning of the war, when the Academy shut down and they had been granted their regeneration's early. Neither had expected to live through the war and so they decided to die together.

A very rare tradition on Gallifrey called Connection, people of the Connection they created between them. When one of the connected pair regenerated the other would follow. Together through each regeneration forever, never to be undone.

It was frowned upon in today's society giving how if one person died then another one went and it could be very dangerous as if one person ended up regenerating while the other was around a group of people it could be dangerous for the innocents around. Sometimes you knew when the other died and other times it was just suddenly the energy was surrounding you and you were dying too.

Maybe it was a childish mistake that they Connected but honestly they didn't care.

"It never came up." She defended.

"So you never mentioned it?"

"In my defence I thought you were dead!"

Marcella whacked up upside the head at that, almost glaring at her stubbornness, "and not once did you think 'oh I'm suddenly regenerating, how odd.'"

"Er, they were mostly my fault."

She scoffed, "first we both regenerated collecting our regeneration's before we even fought of Connecting then I got shot by a Dalek after you buggered off."

"Emergency temporal shifting," she corrected, "thought that triggered a regeneration. Then I was shot by a Dalek."

"Uh huh. Then I was shot in the spine."

"Ah, that makes more sense than drowning actually." She just assumed because the Siren didn't know she wasn't human and put her on life support that had ended up triggering a regeneration, it made a lot more sense that it had been Marcella who caused it. And the fact that she drown was just embarrassing to admit. Well, she wasn't particularly keen on that body anyway, she wasn't too happy.

"Then it was a bomb explosion." Marcella continued.

"Oh I knew last time was you."

"Seriously though?" Marcella gaped, "all those times and you just assumed it was only you getting us killed. Not once did you think of me?"

"I thought of you every day." Star argued, "I kept the dagger on my person at all time, never let anyone touch it because I thought it was all I had left of you. And then I destroyed the moment and clung to hope that you survived not even thinking..." she swallowed thickly, blinking back tears. No she wouldn't get emotional. She hadn't even noticed the gap between them closing as she rested her forehead against Marcella's, both closing their eyes at the comforting physical contact, "I...I've missed you so much, Kikashe."

"I've missed you too, Nova." Marcella murmured in returned.

"I've missed my name." She sniffled, the tears really started to fall now. Oh great, so much for not getting emotion. So much for her reputation of a badass, she really was just an over emotion cry baby. "I barely hear it anymore. And I'm scared that soon I won't even remember it..."

The Doctor hardly ever used her true name anymore, always calling her Star which was her name, of course, it just wasn't official. She understood why he never used it whenever humans were around but those 200 years they spent learning about the silence and deleting themselves from the universe (admittedly rather badly) never once did he use her true name and there wasn't a single human on board that entire time.

"We are both damaged." Marcella whispered, not once daring to remove the contact of the foreheads.

"So damaged."

She opened her eyes and pulled out a tissue from her pocket, of course she opted for transdimensional she saw the human clothes with their fake pockets. How was she supposed to carry anything with no pockets? What was the point of fake pockets? "You always were the emotional one, Nova."

She laughed shakily, wiping her eyes with the offered tissue never afraid or vulnerable to cry in front of Marcella, "and you the stone cold stoic bitch." Right now she really need a distraction. A new planet to explore, civilisations to help, run for her life or something.

As if sensing her thought the TARDIS's distress signal began to ring around the room.

"Isn't that the distress warning?" Marcella frowned

Star snapped into action racing to the console, tossing the tissue away as it burnt a safe distance away from either of them turning to nothing, as she acted like she hadn't just sobbed a few seconds ago, "Going to complain about my meddling?"

"No." Right now Star wanted to keep busy and so they'd keep busy.

"Good, then get a planet fix."

"Excuse me?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Please." She added with a sheepish grin.

Marcella gave a curt nod and moved to find the origins of the distress call, "Rhodia," she answered looking up the inputs seeing how Star was ready to input the coordinates as she called them out. It seemed like no one else had picked up the call. She frowned as she got a fix on Rhodia's royal palace, watching as both the Rhodians and Quill were kills by a race of Shadow Kin. It didn't do any harm to research alien planets and the inhabitants that weren't on the Academy curriculum. It came in handy for things like this.

Star pulled a lever, materialising them in one of the rooms of the palace where one Rhodian and one Quill remained.

She rushed to the doors where they stood staring at her and the blue box in shock, "if you want to live get in!" She ordered stepping aside as the Quill rushed in without second through, the Rhodian picking up a decorative cabinet and following as Star closed the door after them.

~.~

Star didn't know quite what to make of these two last of their species, especially Quill.

Marcella had set up a chamber that would permanently modify their physiology, something like that could take hours. And the prince had been adamant to make Quill go first, she had reappeared looking completely different but very much alive and well. It had been enough for him to take his turn.

No longer did Quill look like her species with the large spikes on their backs but now a young woman with piercing blue eyes and a short blonde bob, seemingly keen on wearing black clothes, although that may have just been the first thing she saw as Star showed her the wardrobe to change into human clothes. She had done the same for the prince, Charlie, he called himself now with a more Earthen name, now a young teenager with nearly kept hair. Quill had gone with the name Andrea seeing as it was close to her original birth name, but still insisted to be called Quill.

Leaving them alone on Earth working and studying at Coal Hill school pretending to be humans for Sheffield was probably a very bad idea but nowhere was safe. And at least there they had UNIT keeping track of the place. What with the rift that was always randomly opening on the sight. How UNIT hadn't been able to stop them building the school there was beyond them.

"That is a seriously dangerous site for a school," Marcella gasped as she looked up the schools records of missing or dead. Most of which didn't have any answers but of course it was because of the rift in time that was weak in that area. "Did they not think to move the site?"

"Humans," Star merely shrugged as she sat on the steps leading to the upper gallery. The Doctor was still napping somewhere. Or reading. Maybe he wasn't even in the TARDIS. She didn't know. If he was lost or kidnapped and needed saving he'd let them know eventually but for now it was nice to just have the TARDIS between her and Marcella, no interrupting dads. "They pretend nothing's wrong."

"And if the Shadowkin manage to find Quill and Charlie?"

"I think Quill could defend herself."

"Except she has to protect Charlie," Marcella raised an eyebrow at her, "and she can't use weapons. And she can only actually attack when the prince is in danger."

"But the Shadowkin would have to find them first. There is no way they would know they were alive."

"Unless they were looking for a weapon."

She rolled her eyes, "there are multiple guns similar to Quill's, they can go steal one from the palace ruins."

"I was speaking of the Cabinet of Souls," she sighed as Star just looked puzzled. Of course she didn't know what it was. She hardly pain attention in the Academy.

~.~

"We've got a problem," Star rolled her eyes as she picked up the phone to Quill's bluntness.

"No don't you worry about any specifics," she rolled her eyes, "its not like it could be something as small as your flat burnt down and you want me to help you get another one."

"They found us," Quill interrupted bitterly, "the Shadowkin have found us. You said we'd be safe."

"Yeah, well, nowhere is perfectly safe."

"What are you going to do about it?"

She huffed, "you know what? I'm gonna come just because I wanna have a word with that dear prince of yours," she grumbled hanging up, no doubt cutting Quill off as she tried to argue he wasn't her prince.

Maybe he wasn't, but he was a prince and he was stuck under her care, so he was her prince.

~.~

"Don't stalk," Marcella huffed as she quickly followed Star out of the TARDIS and down an empty school corridor to the main hall. The Shadowkin had somehow tracked them down and had arrived during the year 13s prom night and after learning about the Cabinet of Soul, Star really wasn't impressed with Charlie.

"I'm gonna stalk," she responded, not looking back at the girl as she made her way through the corridor, keeping an eye out for Charlie or Quill.

They found the assembly hall locked and assumed everyone to be in there with the Shadowkin. It was easy to unlock the doors with the sonic glasses Star had given to Marcella, the girl keeping them in her coat pocket.

Seemed most had managed to escape, leaving Quill and Charlie with a small group of teenagers.

"They've locked us in." One brunette girl gasped, "We're trapped! Stop it. You've got what you wanted. Just go!"

"I've not yet got what I wanted." The Shadowkin king snarled.

"Well, nothing left to do, then, is there, but to die well." Quill reasoned, readying herself to fight. Charlie was currently under threat and she had no weapons, physical fighting it was then.

"You!" Star pushed past the small army of Shadowkin and to Charlie who stood with a group, including of Quill, a brunette girl, a black girl who looked younger than the rest of them and a blond Polish boy, not touching him in case the Urn reacted, but she could still glare him down, for the moment ignoring the Shadowkin, "did you really think you'd get away with keeping your little secret from me? Now, you," she turned and pointed a finger at the Shadowkin, "wait! He's in my bad books too." She twirled back to Charlie, "what is wrong with you?!"

"King of the Shadowkin threatening us," he meakly pointed at it, "and you're having a go at me?"

"Yes, I'm yelling at you! He can wait in line. I saved your life."

"Star for gods sake!" Marcella cried, "can you do this later?"

Star glared at Charlie a moment longer before nodding and stepping back. Marcella wanted her to yell at Charlie later, she'd yell later.

"Who are they?" The brunette wondered quietly to the girl besides her.

"Dunno," the young black girl shrugged.

"Funny story!" Star clapped, spinning to face them, "I was a student here once."

"You were?" Marcella interrupted.

"Hush. I'll explain later," she winked at her before continuing to the kids, "only for a week but I caused a whole lot of trouble. Annoyed the hell out of the previous English and maths teachers. But I didn't kill them! I need to keep reminding myself that. But seriously who doesn't look before crossing the road? Sorry," she grinned at the Shadowkin, "have you heard of me?"

"You are the feared predator of the universe," the king grunted out.

"Most called me Star...or irritating child. Or nasty little girl. Take your pick." She glanced at Marcella as she purposely coughed as she rambled off, "sorry, I had a question." She turned to Marcella frowning, "what was the question, Mars?"

The girl rolled her eyes, "what are you doing here?" She demanded of the Shadowkin King.

"Yes! What she said."

"We might ask you the same question." The king stated.

Star blinked, "was not expecting you to realise that. Keeping it simple; they called."

"Sorry but don't Shadowkin prefer to attack secretly?" Marcella cut in, "sneak attack? But inelegant for your lot, isn't it?

"We are here for the Cabinet."

"Just go to IKEA there's loads," Star waved off, "you're bound to find the perfect one."

"The Cabinet of Soul." The king growled.

"Nope can't have it."

"What's the Cabinet of Souls?" The brunnette girl whispered.

"It's the centre of Rhodian religion." Marcella explained, seeing Star fallen silent, whether because she was too mad at Charlie, or didn't think they should know or because she wasn't 100% certain herself, she didn't know but she took over, if they were Charlie's friends they deserved to know he had a weapon, quite a powerful one at that, "The soul of every Rhodian who dies is supposed to go there. It's a repository for a future paradise."

"A weapon," the king corrected.

"And a weapon." She agreed, Star still staring Charlie down, the boy sheepish under her gaze trying to avoid her, turning to the young polish boy seemingly trying to get comfort from him, "It's the power of all that life crammed down into single specks of light. It could be enough to destroy an entire species."

"He can use it against us."

"Yes." Quill nodded, "Yes, and who would blame him?"

"I would." Star tore her gaze from Charlie, "I've seen genocide first hand. I've seen what it does to the lone survivor. And Charles, I wouldn't even wish for you to bare that guilt."

"It doesn't matter." He cut her off tensely, "The Cabinet is empty. I knew it would be. Every Rhodian does. It's just bedtime stories for children to make death less scary. As if death should be anything but terrifying."

"Then why would you take it?" The king demanded.

"I kept it in memory of my people. All my people who are gone!"

"A crime that you have yet to answer for!" Marcella snapped at the Shadowkin king.

"And who will make me? You are powerful, but we are legion."

"Oh you have no idea," Star laughed, "seriously who knows how many weapons I have on me, gods knows Mars probably has even more and this room! There are so many weapons hidden here. Even chairs are useful..." she didn't get the ramble much more as the brunette pulled the leg of an overturned chair, holding it to her chest, as if to stab her heart.

"You leave or I make you leave." She threatened.

"Wait?" Star looked between the girl and the king of the Shadowkin, "how is that working? You came before, tried to kill her, but it backfired and ended up sharing a heart?"

"How did you work that out?" Marcella gaped at her, the silence of the humans showing it was true.

"Don't question how my mind works, even I don't know."

"It's why you can't kill me," the king sneered.

"But I can." The brunette corrected, the chair leg steady over her heart, "You leave, or you die."

"April, no." Charlie stepped before her, speaking to the king, "If you came for me, take me. Leave these people alone."

"See?" Star grinned, "there you go. You can take him and everyone else gets on with their life's..."

"Star!"

She glanced at Marcella who was slowly shaking her head and hung her own, if they killed Charlie then the Urn would react and harm Quill. "The last Rhodian and the last Quill our under our protect. You want them, you go through me."

"So be it," he growled at her.

"I never lose," she warned, stepping closer to threatening him, "Corakinus. Yeah I know your name, had to go deep to find you but I got there."

"Shadows," the younger girl suddenly shouted, rushing to switch the lights on but nothing happened, "it worked before..." she murmured as the shadow kin stood, the king and Star staring each other down.

"Mars what you got?" Star didn't looked at her as she spoke.

"I've got a pair of sonic sunglasses that I can use to boost the voltage," she responded setting them on and looking up to the lights as they brightened even more.

"You have not seen the last off me..." Corakinus warned as he and his people turned to smoke, seeping out of the door and down the corridor.

"You are not the first to say that."

"No! He still has Aprils heart!" Charlie cried, running out and down the corridor, chasing him.

"Oh, for gods sake!" Quill snapped, chasing after him.

Star sighed heavily as she dragged Marcella with her, the pair following the group of teenagers that followed Charlie and Quill, down the corridor.

"I don't care how you do it, but save her heart." Charlie ordered as they ran, "Sacrifice yourself if you must!"

"I have no choice but to obey, Master." Quill replied.

"Don't call me that!"

"Well she is your slave," Star snapped at him, "and you're ordering him to kill herself for- what was it? April?" She turned to the girl just in time to see Corakinus grab her.

"I shall take my heart with me." He stated.

"Do something with those sunglasses of yours!" The younger girl cried to Marcella.

"They're sonic glasses, they can't cause harm," she responded.

"What will you do, Star?" Corakinus asked her, "Kill us both or let us both live? Those are your choices."

Star ignored him, her gaze further down the corridor, "I think I'll take the third option thanks."

"April! Duck!" Behind them another boy, covered in blood, hit the king with a plastic chair, "Who says you're the only one who gets to make the decisions?

"I will find you!" The king hissed as he turned to smoke, releasing April and disappearing through the rift.

"Mars..." Star glanced at her.

"On it," she nodded, closing the rift with the sonic glasses, a small speck left behind.

"Well that was..." she glanced at the boy, noticing his bloody broken leg, "stupid," she huffed jumping to catch him as he fainted into her arms.

~.~

"Will he live?" April inquired as Star stepped out of the TARDIS where the old girl had parked under a set of chairs, the teenagers and Quill sat on plush seats as Marcella helped Rams (they found at their names) broken leg.

"Oh yeah he's fine," she waved her off.

"That opening the Shadow Kin came through," Charlie called, lifting his head up from the polish boy, Mattasuz's shoulder, "you couldn't close it all the way."

"Well, you'll have to take it up with my old man," she shrugged and still she had no idea where he was, "there's a lot of Artron energy around this place. Time has worn thin. Can no longer be fully patched up. It was his fault my niece also used to be a student her, longer than me though. A very long time ago..." she trailed off, Chesterton had given her a number that no longer worked, she honestly had no idea if Susan was alive or not. She could be in her last regeneration on a planet across the universe and they didn't know it or she could even be a teacher at this school right now. Or maybe she was dead like the rest of the family. She didn't know and didn't want to think about it.

"So those things'll come back?" The youngest girl, Tanya, called.

She shrugged again, "they'll have to find you first. Mars scrambled the pulsation. But the rifts will still open so...be on guard?" She offered.

"But. No, no, no." Quill cut in, shaking her head, "I thought you were going to get us out of here?"

"It's no safer elsewhere. The Shadowkin will continue looking across time and space for you. There would be no point and I don't want him," she shot a glare to Charlie, "disrupting my mourning."

"Who are you mourning?" Tanya questioned.

She turned her back on the memorial of previous staff members, the most current two being Clara Oswald and Danny Pink. Both would likely still be alive if they never met her, "it doesn't matter."

"Ok, Star." Quill moved into her line of sight, "Hey, hey, listen. Er, all right, these people." She gestured to the group sitting down, it wasn't how they expecting their prom to end, "Yes, they may disgust me, but at the end of the day, they're just children. They can't cope with this."

"I think they've already coped rather well," she defended, "they didn't run like the others. And that boy in there," she gestured back to the TARDIS, "he ran on a broken leg after seeing his girlfriend die and hit the king with a plastic chair. That is stupidly, impressively brave."

"And is something you would do," Marcella added as she stepped out, helping Ram on his new leg.

"You got your leg back?" Tanya gaped.

"I found some spares in the medical bay." Marcella explained, "prosthetic legs. You'll get the hang of it. Just pretend it's not a fake and not alien."

Ran lifted him his pant leg to show the golden mechanical whirring leg, as it clicked occasional, "What about football?"

"A boring sport where grown men roll around in the grass crying about being hurt." Star blinked, "practise."

"No, wait. Wait." Quill shouted, "You can't seriously expect these juveniles to deal with whatever is going to come through these tears in space and time?"

"Through the what?" Ram gasped, still not with it after the medication.

"It's like the Hellmouth." April explained.

"Or that town in Once Upon A Time." Tanya added.

"Or the Vampire Diaries." Charlie remarked.

"You watch Vampire Diaries?"

"Everyone is very attractive."

"Yes. It is true." Mattaeusz agreed.

Star bit her lip at their distracted conversation but turned to Quill, "well, they also have you."

"Oh, no. No, no, please." Quill begged, "It is bad enough that I am a slave to that prince."

"I get that. But what about him," she nodded to a missing poster of a boy on one of the lockers. She knew full well he was dead. Dead because of Quill.

"Oh."

"Besides! Mars and I have our own stuff to be doing. So you will be bitter and mean to these kids while also protecting them and they will annoy you as much as possible. While Marcella and I go doing our own things, because we have issues ourselves you know."

"How? I can't fire weapons!" She snapped, it seemed everyone but her forgot that, "I can't use swords and knives and screwdrivers!"

"Books and brains! Best weapons there are! Saving the world is a lot easier than it seems. You'll more likely save the world than pass your exams. Have fun!" She turned and followed Marcella into the TARDIS dematerialising.

"He lied about the cabinet, didn't he?" Star sighed.

"I'd imagine so." Marcella nodded.

"Well, I hope that Corakinus doesn't figure that out."

"So," Marcella folded her arms, her back against the console as she looked at Star, the girl moving them into the vortex, "what do we do now?"

"We make speak to Kate and make you president, of course!" She laughed, "oh and watch out for the Osgoods, they have a habit of tricking people nowadays for fun."

"That's not what I meant." Marcella deadpanned.

"No." She agreed slowly, "tea?"

~.~

Marcella sat at the kitchen table watching Star as she made tea, well, made her a cup of tea and while making herself coffee, it seemed to be the only thing she drank. she was more interested with her Star made the drinks, the spoon in her coffee stirring itself.

"Milk and sugar?"

She blinked, shaking her head and refocusing on Star, "no, just black. Thanks."

Star frowned at her, following where her gaze had been, noticing what she had been distracted with, "shit." She slumped her shoulders, the spoon flopping down on the counter.

"No," Marcella's eyes widened at where's Stars mind had gone, "I wasn't…I was just."

"It's fine," Star interrupted dropping the mug of tea before her, probably harder than necessary as she sat opposite with her coffee. "humans don't really think much of it, like how the Time Lords do."

"No, that's not…" Marcella shook her head, organising her thoughts, "it's you used to be terrified of the slightest slip up and now…" she was almost amused, "You're not even thinking about it when you do it are you?"

"Suppose not." She agreed quietly.

How times have changed.

 **And we have Class spin off, which was admittedly mostly just Star and Marcella with a little bit of Quill and Charlie. Next we have Dr Mysterio and i wont surprise you for where series 10 takes us. :)**


	15. The return of doctor mysterio

"For gods sake!" Marcella cried exaggerated as they stood on the roof of an apartment building in Manhattan somewhere near Christmas, herself and Star setting up a time distortion equaliser while the Doctor set a trap so no one could turn it off and had gone and tried it to see if it worked only to get caught and end up hanging via some rope down the side of the building.

There was 60+ floors.

The only reason he needed the equaliser was because he 'had reasons' to not want to come back to New York, or America in general. He didn't say what, kept dodging the questioning leaving them to their own assumptions, mostly that he had annoyed the president.

Fine by them.

"This is not the worst that has happened as surprising as it may be," Star remarked.

"Honestly. Not that surprising."

"It's not really is it?" She grinned.

"Are you not going to help pull him up?" Marcella shook her head.

Star moved and peered over the edge just in time to see him crawling into one of the windows, "he's fine. He's breaking into someone's room."

"Charming." Marcella grimaced. She felt sorry for whatever human had to deal with him breaking into their room. "Do you have the gemstone to turn it on?"

She snorted, "we'd be lucky if dad still has it."

She smirked in amusement, "you mean it's highly likely that it's on the busy roads 60 floors down?"

"Wouldn't that just be foul luck?" Star agreed, matching her smirk.

"No, he got special powers." They glanced over the staircases doors that lead to the apartments as a young boy in his pyjamas came out followed by the Doctor.

"What, vomiting, hair loss and death?" The Doctor scoffed, "Fat lot of use."

"Who has special powers?" Star looked at them, merely assuming the boy to have been the one to help the Doctor inside the building instead of falling to his death and going splat on the roads below. Because what grown human would let a strange man in the room in the middle of the night after seeing him hanging upside down outside their window? It must have been a child.

"Spider-Man," the young boy looked at her. The Doctor had told him of the two girls up here with him.

"Hey!" The Doctor grinned pointing at the device in the middle of the room, "it's almost complete. What do you think?"

"That looks..."

"I know."

"Cheap."

"Well it is made with Earth technology," Marcella shrugged moving around from finishing with the small power box.

"Mars..." Star began warningly.

"I am merely agreeing with the small human, Star."

"You're insulting them."

"I'm insulting their technology, completely different."

"Oi, both of you quit the flirting," The Doctor cut in making them both turn and glare at him, trying to argue that they weren't, in fact, flirting. They gave in when the young boy sneezed, "Got a cold there, Grant?"

"I always get a cold at Christmas." the boy replied, sniffling.

"Me too. Or an invasion." He handed the boy a glass of water from his pocket.

"Technically the past two christmases haven't actually been an invasion." Star corrected.

"You reckon?"

"Well last year we did help try to chop a kings head off and he over reacted a tiny bit, and the year before we were just...dreaming really." She trailed, realising that he would remember when they had to deal with the Dream Crabs, at least not perfectly as Clara had been involved and his memories involving her were fuzzy.

"Where did you get that from?" Young Grant interrupted, taking a sip of the offered water.

"My pocket." The Doctor answered.

"How do you keep a glass of water in your pocket?"

"The same way Star keeps her dagger in hers."

"Skill." Star explained.

"Stubbornness," Marcella offered.

"Now hush," the Doctor cut them off, "I've got a lot of work to do. Take this." He handed the small boy a small red gemstone to keep.

"Who are you?"

"The Doctor."

"Star."

"Marcella."

"Yeah, but who are you?" Grant stressed.

"The Doctor."

"Which one, though? There's lots of doctors."

"The one. The main one. The original. I started it. They're all based on me. Now everyone who wants to sound clever calls themselves Doctor. Bandwagon!"

"In a comic book, you know what you'd be called? Doctor Mysterio."

"Oh, I like that. Doctor Mysterio! I'll have that. Nearly ready."

"It is ready," Marcella called, "it just needs the stone to power up."

"What is it?" Grant wondered, it just looked like a pile of junk shaped into a Christmas tree. Fitting for the season.

"Well, in terms that you would understand?" The Doctor countered, "Sorry, there aren't any. It's a..."

"Time-distortion equaliser." Star finished for him.

"Yes, that!"

"A what?" Grant blinked.

"Well, there's been a lot of localised disruption here in New York, so, er, my fault, actually. Hopefully this will make it all calm down."

"I don't understand."

"Do you know what a lightning conductor is?" He looked at the young boy.

"Yeah."

"It's nothing like a lightning conductor," Star shook her head as she stood watching them.

"I thought you were setting a trap."

"I was, to protect this." The Doctor gestured to the equaliser, "I don't want anyone turning it off, or stealing it for a Christmas tree."

"But it looks like a Christmas tree."

"It blends in," Star shrugged. If anyone caught a glimpse of it from their windows in another building they wouldn't think much off it. Just that someone had put a metal tree up on the roof for fun.

"It was a mere coincidence," Marcella corrected. It was just how they managed to get everything to fit in place without anything falling off.

"Do you want to turn the lights on?" The Doctor crouched before Grant.

"Can I?" Grants eyes lit up.

"Go on. It's Christmas Day."

"Technically its still Christmas Eve," Marcella called, "its only 11:58."

"Much you always feel the need to correct me," The Doctor sighed in her direction. No one does that to him.

"Well you're always wrong in public," Star agreed.

"What do I do?" Grant wondered.

"Ah! Right, you put this into this," the Doctor gestured to a couple of wires watching as the boy inserted them, "and you flick all those little switches on."

"Nothing's happening." Grant pouted.

"Yeah, because now we get to the cool bit. Come here." He led Grant to the power box Marcella had been finishing with, "Do you see that little door there? Pop it open. Now we turn on the lights. Pop the gemstone right in there."

"What gemstone?"

"The gemstone that I gave you. Pop it right in there."

"I'm pretty sure you said I could be the one to turn it on," Star huffed, crossing her arms. It was lucky that he didn't promise, then she would be cross

"That was a gemstone?" Grant whispered.

"What did you do?" Star demanded off the boy. It wasn't like he would have thought it was a rock and tossed it away.

"Well, it's more than just a gemstone," the Doctor remarked, "it's also like a kind of on-board computer. Come here. Can you see, can you see that little yellow star at the end of that curve? It comes from near there. Formed in the heart of a red hole and stabilised in pure dwarf star crystal. The gemstone is intuitive. It knows what you want and draws energy from the nearest star to make it happen. There's only four of them left in the universe. The Apocalypse Monks of the Andorax called this one the Hazandra, the Ghost of Love and Wishes. Ok, then, pop it in."

"I thought it was medicine."

"What?"

"It looked like medicine."

The trio of time lords glanced at each other, "What have you done with it?" The Doctor asked him.

"Well, you gave me medicine and a glass of water, and you said you were a doctor. I thought it was for my cough."

"So a strange man who you met in the middle of the night hanging outside your bedroom gave you a stone and you decided to eat it!" Marcella stared at the boy.

"Oh for gods sake!" Star groaned, "this is why I should have turned it on."

"Am I going to get sick?" Young Grant asked.

"No, no, no, no." The Doctor quickly assured as the boys chest began to glow red like the gemstone. "Quite the opposite."

"The opposite? What's the opposite?" He didn't really need an answer as his feet rose from the ground causing the Doctor to gently pish him back down, "What happened?"

"Nothing."

"What's wrong with me?"

"Everything," Marcella simplified.

"Mars," Star whined, "this kids like what...36?"

"8," he glared.

"That's even worse."

"Well, you've got a cough and a slight case of levitation." The Doctor added, "Stay calm."

"What happens if I don't stay calm?" The boy asked, slowly begining to lift of the ground as he began to panic.

"Oh! Don't panic."

"What happens if I panic?" Grant asked as the Doctor quickly grabbed onto his ankle as he rose higher and they ended up flying off into the night sky, screaming.

"That happens," Marcella deadpanned, "I should imagine."

"Come on," Star laughed, taking her hand and tugging her off to the TARDIS on the other side of the roof.

"Where are we going now?" She called as she followed Star to the console.

"Tracking them down, off course."

"Yes because they'd be on top of the Empire State Building wouldn't they," she drawled.

"Yes actually," Star smirked, spinning the monitor to Marcella to prove the Doctor had managed to calm Grant down enough to land, unfortunately on the very top of the tallest building in the city.

Marcella just stared in disbelieve as Star piloted them off. She didn't think it was possible for someone to be so idiotic and unlucky, but it seemed the Doctor was trying to prove her wrong.

~.~

"Need a ride down, by any chance?" Star called as she pulled down in the TARDIS breaks before the pair as they sat on the top of the Empire State Building.

Young Grant blinked at the spaceship before them before shaking his head and asking. "So I'm a superhero now?"

"Well, once the gemstone is gone from inside you, you'll be back to normal. It will pass." The Doctor reassured.

"But how will it get out?"

"Like I said, it will pass. Looking forward to that."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm not sure. Nothing's ever sure. Just promise me one thing. For as long as you have these powers, you will never, ever use them."

"Sure." He agreed.

"Right," the Doctor stood up, and picked the boy up, helping him from from the tall building to the safety of the TARDIS as Star helped grab him and lead him further inside as the Doctor jumped in after. "Bit rough?" He stumbled over to the console where Marcella had been the first to move them back to Grants building. The boy mutely staring in shock.

"Well sorry if there is only half the correct amount of pilots and none with perfect skills," she shot back.

"At least I did actually pass!" Star called, moving to help smooth the ride.

"Maybe if you tried to revise a bit more you would have past first time?"

"Oh hold on!" The Doctor interrupted, "you past second time? This I did not know."

Star glared at Marcella, she had kept that from him just knowing someone would tease, "at least I don't leave the breaks on!"

"Oh, bring that up." He grumbled.

~.~

"Sup little dude," Star greeted as they found Grant sat on a bench in his school corridor, his eyes to the ground as they checked on him, blending into the school, both she and Marcella simply carrying bags, no one battered an eyelash. Americans.

"Hey." The Doctor slid into the spot next to him.

"What are you doing here?" Grant murmured, not looking up.

"I'm your relief algebra teacher. Thought I'd check in on you and see how you're coping."

"Well, it hasn't passed, if that's what you want to know."

"I think that it's a part of your DNA now. It's bonded with you. I'm sorry. Why aren't you looking at me?"

"I don't want to."

"You're not looking at anyone. Are you shy now? Is that floor really interesting?"

"I'm not shy. I just can't stop it."

"X-ray vision?" Marcella guessed as she leaned against the lockers opposite the bench.

He nodded measly, "I'm in hell. Naked hell. I just can't look at people."

"It's the gemstone, responding to puberty." The Doctor sighed.

"Hey, Grant!" One of the girls from a group called as they passed.

"Hey, Lucy!" He smiled looking up only to flush and look back down sending the girls into a fit of giggling.

"You really like her, don't you?"

"I have X-ray eyes. I like everyone."

"But Lucy is your favourite."

"Who says?"

"Well, probably the fact that you're levitating a few inches," Star remarked as the Doctor gently pushed him back down.

"Also that no earth superheroes are straight," Marcella added.

"And you know because..."

"I read the comics. Supergirl...Wonder Woman's from an island full of women..."

"Thor..." Star listed, "me..."

"Serious?" Marcella's mouth dropped, "but what about Runvin in the Academy?"

"Well Clara dated a man called Danny and Jane Austin and flirted with a girl call Nina but if I date someone when I'm double digits and flirting with girls in triple digits it's a surprise and shock."

"No, I just...I just never thought that you'd..."

"I'd what?"

"No just...never mind."

"Careful darling, you're starting to sound human," Star winked, "judging me like that."

The Doctor rolled his eyes as the girls headed back to the TARDIS Marcella stalking before Star asking questions about the girls she's flirted with. Honestly how was it surprising, Star flirted with anyone, she even flirted with Silurians and Zygons for gods sake.

"Wait?" He frowned, rushing after them, "who's this Runvin?"

Why did he not know of this boy Star had apparently dated during the Academy.

Star groaned, "I was 74! Just let it go!"

"No, come on, tell me. Who was he? Star!"

~.~

Marcella stared at the Doctor as the trio snuck through a building called Harmony Shoal during the night when everyone had gone. The TARDIS had traced three other people in the building, one was a single cleaner and two men, the two men they were more concerned about.

"Must you eat while we're breaking and entering," Marcella sighed, exaggerated as the Doctor ate a platter of sushi with chopsticks as they walked around.

"Mark off a pro," he winked.

"Such a pro that you always end up getting caught," Star raised an eyebrow.

"It was always part of the plan," he defended.

"Really? Every single time."

He paused, staring back at her, both refusing to stop eye contact as Star's smirk grew. She was right, she knew it, he knew it, heck, even Marcella probably knew it. But he wouldn't admit that. "...yes."

She continued smirking at him, wiggling her eyebrows knowingly at Marcella as they walked off, hiding behind a wall hearing voices around the corner.

They each spared a glance to see a large safe at the end of the corridor lit up by a blue lit with rows of containers filled with what looked like blue brains as two men stood talking outside the room. The cleaner had paused to listen just outside the door. Obviously an intruder herself.

"I see brains every place except here." A young black man spoken to other other man with glasses, "These specimens were donated to this facility by our benefactors for a top-secret research project. A project which is not to be questioned, impeded, or in fact mentioned by any of the employees of the Harmony Shoal Institute. Even I don't have the clearance to know what's going on in here."

"But why?" The man with glasses questioned.

"It's not your job to ask questions. Stick to science." He instructed watching his companion, frowning at something on the mans face, "Something wrong with your eyes?"

He ignored him, wiping his eye with a cloth, "Sir, the first time I came in here, I counted 24 specimens. The second time I counted, there were 30. Now there are 36."

"Well, I guess they've got the space."

"You don't understand. There have been no deliveries. I checked it. Some of these brains, sir, they just...arrived." He gestured wildly around at the containers that seemingly 'magically' arrived.

The cleaner moved round to where they were stood, gasping in surprise at seeing them.

"It's ok. We are intruders too." The Doctor quickly assured to keep her quiet, "Yeah, I brought snacks. Mark of a pro. Keep listening."

"Looks like a brain to me." The younger man continued, "Kind of blue, I guess, but that's the fluid, right?"

"Yes. That's the fluid." The other man nodded as he wiped his nose, "Tap the glass, sir."

"What'd you say?"

"Tap the glass, please."

The man did as asked, stepping back in surprise as two eye appeared on the brain, staring at him. "What? What the hell is that? Is that a joke?"

"No sir, it's not a joke."

"It's got eyes! Look at them, they're like...They're like your eyes."

"Yes sir, they are."

"Doctor Sim? What are you pointing at?"

The man, Doctor Sim held his arm up to a container on the top shelf, "I'm pointing at Doctor Sim. Don't look so alarmed. We merely exchanged containers. You might call this a hijack."

The group watched as the black man proceeded to punch Sim, who merely grabbed his throat and threw him down.

"What happened to you? I don't understand."

"The same thing that is about to happen to you. I had a change of mind." The man turned to the doors allowing them to see the diagonally cut along his face as he closed the safe door behind him and continued on his way, leaving the other man screaming inside, unaware of the four watching him.

Marcella caught Stars eye, shifting her gaze to the woman who had joined them but Star could only shrug and shake the head, the two girls headed off back down the corridor away from the safe.

The Doctor watched them walk in perfect sync before tapping the cleaners shoulder with one of his chopsticks and gestured for her to follow him, following the pair down a set of stairs where the TARDIS was parked.

"Who are you?" The Doctor questioned the young woman.

"Lucy Fletcher, reporter from the Daily Chronicle." She answered, "Hang on, why am I telling you the truth?"

"Spooky, isn't it? Looking for a story?"

"I think I just found one."

"Brains with minds of their own?" Star scoffed.

"No one will believe that." Marcella agreed.

"This is America."

"And they're human."

"Who are you?" Lucy shook her head at them.

"Special Agent Dan Dangerous from Scotland Yard, Scotland." The Doctor told her, "The Doctor for short. And my accomplices..."

"Star," she nodded pointing at herself and then Marcella, not trusting whatever weird nickname the Doctor would try to give them, "and my best friend ever who I owe my life too..." Star trailed, wrapping an arm around her as Marcella rolled her eyes.

"Most commonly known as Marcella."

"See," the Doctor led them over to an wide open space where opposite the glass windows a map of the world stood with points marking all the places where the institutes sat, "they've got institutes all over the world. And always in capital cities."

"No," Marcella shook her head.

"Yes, yes, they are, see?"

"New York's not a capital city."

He blinked seeing that there was one in New York and New York wasn't, in fact, a capitol city, "You don't need to point out the mistakes."

"But it happens so often I can't be the only person to call you out." Star commented.

"Neither of you are here to call me out on my mistakes," he hissed.

"Well then stop making so many ridiculous mistakes."

"I would call Security," the group looked over at the main lights switched on a the man from earlier, Sim, walking over standing between them and the windows, "but they might leave you alive. I do not want any awkward questions about the intruders I was forced to shoot for my own protection." He cocked a gun at them as Lucy raised her hands above her head.

"Good plan." The Doctor nodded, "Here's another one." He turns his back on him, raising his hands, "Go on." Star followed him but didn't bother to raise her hands as Marcella copied her, trusting her over the Doctor as slowly Lucy did the same, her arms up, "Tell them you shot us in the back in self-defence. We'll be laughing all the way to the slab."

"Face me."

"Maybe not."

"If we face you we lose our advantage," Marcella spoke, frowning at the background noise. Was that knocking? They were on the 100th floor.

"Face me now." Sim commanded, only to hear the knocking himself, "What is that?"

"It sound like someone's knocking on the window," Star frowned spinning on her heels, sighing at the sight of a masked man hovering on the other side. "Really?"

The others turned at her exaggerated tone.

"We're on the 100th floor." Lucy breathed, staring at the man eyes wide. "Oh, my God, he's real."

"Who's real?" The Doctor glanced at her, staring at the masked man.

"The Ghost."

"Who's the Ghost?"

"Masked vigilante. But he's..."

"What?"

"Super."

The masked man, the Ghost, snapped his fingers and shattered the glass, floating inside and landing before Sim, "Mind if I come in?"

"Impressive." Sim smiled grimly, "Those windows, like everything in this building, are built to withstand a blast equivalent to four nuclear explosions."

"It's not that impressive," Star grumbled, "nothing I can't do." She waved her hand and all of the other window panels shattered.

"And she doesn't even need the hand movement," Marcella added, "she's just a big old show off."

"Have I impressed you Marcella?" Star teased.

"Not really," she drawled, "its only glass, nothing spectacular." Star pouted at her words, "but then again, able to withstand 4 nuclear explosion and take them out with a hand wave. Not bad."

"Sorry about that." The Ghost cut in, "Would you like me to call a glazier?"

Sim merely fired his gun at the Ghost but the bullets merely bounced off his breast plate giving the Ghost the chance to grab him by the neck.

"Please understand, it's against my personal code to cause lasting harm to any individual." He said and threw the man against the map, "However, light to moderate injury's fine. Hello." The Ghost walked up to a shocked Lucy, "Was that man annoying you?"

"You're real?" Lucy breathed, "I can't believe it, you're actually real."

"I'm afraid I am. I enjoy your column, Miss Fletcher."

"You read my column? You read? You're real and you read?"

"Though I find the political bias in your paper's editorial not entirely to my taste."

"I'll pass that on."

"Thank you." The Ghost smiled at her, "Who are these people?"

"They're, er." Lucy blinked as they glanced at the group of time travellers, "I don't actually know."

"This is my daughter Star..." the Doctor began with the introductions. "And her..."

"My best friend, Marcella." Star smiled softly at the girl as Marcella nodded to him.

"Yes, quite," the Doctor nodded slowly. Friend. "And I'm the Doctor."

"The Doctor." The Ghost mused. "I thought we had lots of doctors."

"I'm the main one."

"He's the best." Star added, "he can fixed even the most damaged."

The Ghost gave them a small nod before refocusing on Lucy, "Can I give you a ride home?"

"You have a car?" Lucy stared.

"No." He picked her up in her arms, bridal style, "I hope you're okay with heights."

"I'm ok so far." She breathed, clinging to his shoulders.

"Have a good evening, ladies," he nodded to them, "Doctor." He took off back out of the open windows and into the night sky with Lucy screaming in delight.

"That was Grant, correct?" Marcella confirmed.

"Well unless someone else ate a gemstone and got superpowers," Star deadpanned.

"Funny. Real witty. Absolutely hilarious."

"Ooh I'm only getting started. Just wait until the sass comes to surface." She winked.

"I can out sass you any day."

~.~

They had gone back to the TARDIS, tracking the gemstone still inside Grant to an apartment where he still hadn't arrived, in the small nursery room a baby girl had awoken by the TARDIS breaks and was crying.

"With great power comes great responsibility." The Doctor remarked as Grant flew through the window of the nursery and twirled quickly changing into his typical clothes and putting his glasses on, "No man worthy of the title leaves a baby alone." He gestured to the crying baby he held in his arms, trying to quieten her.

"How did you find me?" Grant asked.

"We tracked the gemstone inside you. Your powers, they don't belong in this world. They're an anomaly. You promised me you'd never use them."

"And you believed him," Star snorted, taking the baby from him and giving a couple of soft bounces in her arms as she finally quietened.

"May I take her?" Grant huffed, gesturing to take the baby back.

"You're the one who left her alone."

"She's yours?" The Doctor asked.

"I'm hers." he corrected, "I'm her nanny."

"You're her nanny?"

"Yeah, her nanny. You got a problem with that?"

"You get paid to look after this kid and you leave her alone while you're out superheroing." Star was almost sneering at him when she finished.

"If I can just..." Star rolled her eyes as she handed the baby back over.

"So you are a superhero and a nanny?" The Doctor asked.

"Well, you've got to make a buck somehow." He shrugged, "I mean, you don't get paid for saving people."

"Oh, we know," Star nodded, "except we don't make the news," she moved to the kitchen where Marcella leaned against the counter avoiding the baby, taking the warm milk bottle she made to keep the baby quiet, "she's hungry," she handed the bottle to Grant.

"It's fine." Grant waved off their concern of leaving a baby alone, "It's a long-range baby-monitor. I can get back to this apartment quicker than most people can get to their kids' bedrooms."

"Grant, Grant, this is insane. Look, I'm me, the Doctor, and even I think this is insane. This is...this is more insane than Star."

"Oi!" She snapped at him, "only I can make jokes about that."

"No, sorry," he hung his head. Ashamed of trying to make light of her, er, what most would call a disease.

"I can cope." Grant defended. "Of course you can't. When do you sleep? When are you not on call? How complicated do you need your life to be?"

"Well, not as complicated as it's about to get." Grant mumbled as the door opened and closed again, the baby's parents home again, "Er, we're in here, Mrs Lombard."

None of them were expecting Lucy Fletcher, removing her coat, "Oh, Jennifer, look at you, up again? Don't you ever sleep?"

"Did you have a good evening, Mrs Lombard?"

"Oh, it was work. Why would it be good?"

"Well, I don't know, you seem a little buzzed. I thought maybe you'd met someone."

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Grant," she trailed as she noticed the three from earlier, "What are you doing here?"

"Well, we, we were worried about you." The Doctor fumbled for an excuse, he hadn't expected her to live here, things really were complicated, "We wanted to make sure that you were all right, er, so we followed you."

"You followed me and got here first?"

"Well you went of the window with the Ghost," Star shrugged, "for all we knew he could have drugged you and merely made it seem like a few minutes had past when it had been a few hours."

"They said they knew you." Grant quickly covered, "I let them in."

"We met tonight. We need to talk, you and me."

"Oh! Did something happen?" Grant asked, looking between them faking innocence.

"Nothing for you to worry your pretty little head about." Lucy smiled at him, "I'll put her to bed"

"I can do that."

"No, it's ok, I want to." Lucy took a daughter from him and headed back into the nursery.

"Lombard's her married name." Grant sighed once sure she was out of ear shot, but he still led them to sit out on the fire escape for extra privacy to ensure she wouldn't hear them, "He ran off when the baby came along. Lucy. Of course. A couple of years after high school, I ran into her again. She even remembered me."

"Oh, that was lucky." the Doctor murmured.

"And I was with my best friend at the time, and she couldn't take her eyes off him. Love at first sight."

"Ooh that's almost as bad as being in love with your best friend," Star mumbled.

"I've heard that must suck," Marcella agreed as she joined them. She wasn't fond of small children, they needed far too much attention because they couldn't look after themselves and they were so loud over something so silly. They were too much of a nuisance for her.

"Then marriage," Grant continued as if they hadn't interrupted, "then a baby, and then he ran off with someone else."

"Leaving, I suppose, the field open for you to move in." The Doctor realised as Grant nodded, "And care for the child she'd had by another man. So she could keep working and possibly date other friends of yours."

"Pretty much." Grant sighed.

"You tiger. Thank you!"

"Who are you thanking?"

"The universe. There's somebody worse at this than me."

They looked down as sirens were heard as a fire engine sped past on the road below followed bumpy the police. Grant didn't hesitate to transform and hand the Doctor his glasses as he took to the sky following them just in time before Lucy poked her out of the window holding a squeaking toy.

"This is Mr Huffle. Mr Huffle feels pain." She gave it a squeeze as it squeaked, "Meet me in the kitchen." She turned and headed into the kitchen as the Doctor headed in after her.

"That is a squeaky toy," Marcella stated, staring as the Doctor moved and she doubted it was simply because he felt the woman deserved answers, he was going for the damned toy.

"It works for him, though." Star shrugged, glancing to the fire in the distance and taking Grants glasses inside with her.

"A squeaky toy. A toy that squeaks when squeezed!"

They followed into the kitchen where Lucy started writing up a story on her laptop with he TV on in the background showing the Ghost helping people out of a burning building.

"So, you're from Scotland Yard?" She asked setting the toy on the table as the Doctor sat opposite her.

"Yes." He nodded.

Lucy squeezed the toy hard, making it loose it shape before re-inflating with a long squeak, "It's fine if you don't tell me your secrets. I intend to keep mine. But don't lie to me."

"Or what?" Star challenged as she stood behind the Doctors chair, arms crossed.

"I hurt Mr Huffle."

She scoffed but the Doctor shushed her.

"I assume you belong to some kind of, I don't know, agency, I don't care which one, and that your current assignment is to investigate Harmony Shoal. Correct?"

"No, I was just passing through," the Doctor began as Lucy grabbed the toy, ready to squeeze, "Ok. Yes, fine, ok, yes, broadly speaking, yes."

"What are those brain things?"

"I don't know. It's nothing that need concern you."

"I'm a reporter. That category does not exist. What are they?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"No reason not to tell me, then."

He sighed as she reached for Mr Huffle, "Those brains, they aren't just brains. They're independent alien life forms."

"And?"

"They migrate from planet to planet, extracting and replacing the central nervous systems of compatible hosts."

"And?"

"Harmony Shoal is a multinational corporation whose true purpose is to extract and replace the brains of key authority figures from around the world, and prepare Earth for full colonisation."

"You believe that?" Marcella asked, skeptical. It wasn't everyday humans believed that it was aliens, they usually said anything else but.

"I don't think you're lying." Lucy corrected, "Slightly different. What has Harmony Shoal got to do with the Ghost?"

"Nothing."

"Ah, so you know who the Ghost really is, then?" None of them answered her, "We just went to a top-secret science research facility apparently run by brains from space, and a flying man with superpowers turns up. Anybody would assume the two were connected, except for somebody who already knew they weren't. So, clearly, you know the Ghost and trust him. Nobody trusts anybody without knowing who they are, so you know who he really is. So now you can tell me. Who is he? Oh, that's interesting. You don't work for an agency, do you?"

"What gave that away?" Star snorted.

"You're not used to being spoken to like this, which means you don't have a boss or an employer. So why are you investigating Harmony Shoal? What's in it for you?"

"Fun."

"I like to keep busy." The Doctor shrugged.

"Why?" Lucy frowned, "What happened to you?"

"Nothing. Oh, look!" He noticed the Ghost on the TV behind Lucy and got up for a closer look, grabbing Mr Huffle to avoid it getting squeezed further.

"Because fire prevention is the responsibility of every citizen, so get a smoke detector!" The Ghost was speaking to the reporters as Lucy turns to the nursery as Jennifer cried. "Sorry, duty calls."

"Oh, look at him go." Lucy sighed dreamily as she watched the Ghost fly away, "I need to know who he is." She headed off to the nursery only to find Grant standing there with Jennifer in his arms.

"You're all right." He soothed, "She just needs a change."

"Oh, it's ok, I'll do it. You're so quick, Grant."

"So quick he forgets to change," Star hissed, setting his glasses on his face before Lucy noticed.

"Do you have any time off?" The Doctor wondered.

"Sure." He nodded, hardly paying attention as the TVs volume increased no doubt Marcella's doing as she stayed at the table, the reporters continuing the story that two more children were trapped in the building.

"Doctor?" Lucy called from the other room as they turned as Grant flew back out the window, "So, can you put me in touch with him? The real guy behind the mask?"

"You're smart." The Doctor eyed her, "You're so clever I actually noticed. I hardly ever listen when other people are talking."

"So what?"

"So why can't you find himself yourself?"

"I got a lead."

"What lead?"

"You." She looked between the three of them, she knew they knew him, "You know him. Don't even try telling me you don't."

"Maybe you know him too." He pressed softly.

She frowned at him a moment before shaking her head and heading back to the nursery to set Jennifer back down, "Hey, where'd Grant go?"

"Right here, Mrs Lombard." He rushed in, fixing his glasses. Unaware he was dripping water in the floor, "Would you like your coffee?"

"Oh, no, I'm ok, thanks. Are you all right?"

"Sure. Why?"

"You're kind of...wet."

"I prefer mild-mannered." He defended.

She nodded slowly before turning to the Doctor, "Can you put me in touch with him?"

"The Ghost?" The Doctor frowned.

"Yeah, the Ghost."

"Mrs Lombard, there are some situations which are just too stupid to be allowed to continue."

Star watched as Grant moved into the kitchen to try and dry off, "besides. You're a journalist, surely your contacts are out there somewhere for someone to find if he wanted an interview," she rolled her eyes as Lucy's phone rang and she answered it.

"Is this Lucy Fletcher?" The deep voice of the Ghost asked.

"Yes. Who is this?"

"Sorry, I had to fly."

"Am I? Sorry, am I, am I speaking to the Ghost?"

"Hello, Lucy."

"So, I'm hoping this means I'm getting an interview." She smiled turning her back on the others to try for a bit of privacy.

"An interview is entirely possible, but I must make one thing clear." He warned, "There must be no talk of who I really am."

"Hey, you make the headlines, you make the rules."

"Discussion of my true identity would put the people closest to me at risk. That is not acceptable"

"Fair enough, get that. How about tomorrow night?"

"For what?"

"The interview? We could get dinner. Do you eat dinner?"

"Of course I eat dinner." Who didn't eat dinner?

"Ok, then. Pick me up here tomorrow night, er, eight o'clock? I'll wait for you on the roof? Wait a second." She pulled the phone away as Star moved to the hallway to signal for Grant that she was coming as he tossed the phone to Marcella in a panic as she stared at him unamused, hiding it on her lap as Lucy entered the kitchen area followed by the Doctor. "Grant, could you babysit for me tomorrow night?" She asked him, "Please, it's important."

"I've got a date." They both explained "A date?"

"Er, kind of a date." Lucy added. More of an interview with dinner. "An interview. Are you seeing someone? None of my business. I mean. But are you? I mean, you never even go out, and suddenly you've got a date?"

"Yeah, well," he shrugged, "it kind of came as a surprise to me too."

"I'm sorry?" She blinked.

"It's complicated."

"I can confirm that it's definitely complicated." The Doctor cut in.

"Worse than naming your daughter after you daughter." Star added.

"Sorry?" Marcella frowned at them.

"You don't want to know. It's very awkward."

"You know, don't worry about it," Grant assured, "I'll look after Jennifer."

"You will?" Lucy breathed.

"You will?" The Doctor even raised his eyes brows.

"I'll figure it out." He smiled, "Let me take care of it."

"Ok," she smiled, turning and heading out of the room.

"She's jealous." The Doctor whispered to Grant.

"I'm jealous!" He hissed.

"Grant, you are jealous of you."

"Technically, she's jealous of her."

"Grant, how long have you known this woman?" Star asked him.

"Since elementary school. 24 years."

"24 years?" The Doctor whispered, "yeah, of course it would be that, wouldn't it."

"Are you ok?" Grant eyed him.

"Time passes for everyone. Even for us. So, please, as much as it is possible for a human male, try not to be an idiot." He patted the mans shoulder as he passed.

"No, seriously, are you ok?"

"I'm always ok."

"Is he?" Grant looked at the two girls.

"It's not any of your concern." Star sneered.

~.~

The two men from earlier entered the dark room of Harmony Sharl, unaware that standing in the darkness was Star and Marcella.

"Ah, welcome, brother." The first man, Sim, if they recalled, spoke as the second approached, "How is your vehicle?"

"A little cramped." He answered, adjusting his head.

"It will relax with wear. Observe this. The finest vehicle this planet has to offer." They faced one of the computers showing the CCTV footage of the Ghost breaking the glass.

"Interesting. And can it be acquired?"

"A plan is being formulated."

"Who are they?" The second man, pointing at the trio.

"I'm not sure. But they may be dangerous."

"They don't look dangerous. Those two are just girls."

"Ok!" Star announced, flicking on the lights to show their presence, "first of all, just girls? Please!" She scoffed, everyone knew girls were far more worst than men, no one expecting them, "secondly, can you leave this planet now, i'd hate to have to kick your arse."

"Are you declaring war on us?" The second man demanded.

"I'm telling you to leave this planet or you'll regret it."

"Then war it is." He glared opening his head along the diagonal scar on his face and opening it, pulling out an alien weapon from the hollow of his head.

"Multi-nucleate organism, functioning as an infinitely adaptable, independently functioning, peripatetic central nervous system." Marcella stated quickly.

"Of course, your plan," Star continued, "a terrible plan really? What? Planning to unzip every world leader and take over the Earth. Never heard that before."

"They will come to us, and they will come running." The first man remarked.

"If you say so."

"Who are you?"

"First of all! How dare you not know who I am! That just insulting. Secondly! This is Mars, but only I am allowed to call her that," she turned to the girl, "did I ever ask to call you Mars, are you ok with it?"

"You didn't," she agreed, "but you can."

She beamed turning back to the two men, "im Star, surely you've heard of me?" They stared blankly at them, "no? Angel of Darkness? Nothing," she huffed, fair enough.

'We're done here,' she called in her mind and moments later the TARDIS materialised around them.

"Right on target!" The Doctor cheered as he sent them off again. "So...what've you got?"

"The usual," Star shrugged, "showed off, insulted them for not knowing me and officiated Mars nickname. You?"

He shrugged, "just stuff."

"Jail?"

"No!" He shouted, "yes," he sighed, "He's not supposed to be using those powers. He made a promise."

"He was a kid, what did you expect?" Star raised an eyebrow at him, "any kid that age would have jumped at the chance to have any superhero powers. Promise or not."

"Like the Time Lord promise never to interfere in the affairs of other peoples or planets?" Marcella countered.

"Hey, in allowing you to stay in my TARDIS." The Doctor turned to Marcella, "You should have a little bit more respect."

"We all know the only reason you allowed her to stay if because if you didn't I wouldn't come back," Star called, finishing her coffee.

He looked between them wanting to say more but the TARDIS landed so he merely turned to the doors, "come on."

He had to admit it was true. Star would have probably just ended up somewhere in the near future on Earth settled down with Marcella travelling with a vortex manipulator if he said no. But he didn't say no last time when Star asks if Marcella could stay at their home instead of her grandfathers during the Academy visiting days, why would he say no this time.

"Where are we?" Marcella frowned.

"Where we were, except not." He headed out into Harmony Shoals Tokyo branch, exactly the same as New York just different workers.

"It's a bit empty?" Marcella frowned as the workers rushed past them on their phones giving them no problem to walk through.

"Yes, I created a distraction." The Doctor waved them off as he moved to a computer, "I flooded downstairs with Pokémon."

"You're not supposed to be in here." One of the workers rushed over as they sat at one of the computers.

"I know, it's terrible. Sorry, I'm doing everything I can to stop me."

"That was sassy," Star whistled, impressed.

"It's happens," he beamed, "See that?"

"It's a signal," she eyed the small dot on the screen.

"It's a signal beaming into space. There was one from the New York office too. There's something in low orbit."

"Have you got a fix yet?" Star huffed as the Doctor typed away on the computer.

"I'm trying." He rolled his eyes at her impatience, "The shielding's too good."

"Tracking the signals?" Marcella asked.

"Doing it now. Boom!" He cheered as he got a fix on a ship in Earths orbit. "Come on."

The group of three huddled by the doors of the TARDIS above the Earth, looking down at the small spaceship a little below them.

"That's what Harmony Shoal is signalling to." The Doctor remarked, "Shall we pop over and have a look?"

"We know no one is aboard," Marcella agreed.

"We do?"

"I scanned for lifeforms."

"All the lights are off, either no ones home or sleeping." Star agreed.

"Exactly!" The Doctor snapped his fingers at her as he raced back to the console to set them on the ship.

"You never scan for life form when entering a ship?" Marcella stared at Star as she shut the doors, the Doctor rushing to land them.

"There's not always time."

"I had plenty of time to check while in mid flight."

"Well most of the time I'm rushing around trying to counter man his commands," she jerked her head black to the Doctor, who looked up at her insult to his flying.

Marcella stared a moment longer, squinting her eyes, "touché."

"Oi!" He cried as they landed with a soft thud, the brakes wheezing, "Bridge is this way." He called leading the way out of the TARDIS and onto the ship that was dripping with moisture, he ignored it heading off. Wasn't that important, what condition the ship was in.

"Star," Marcella breathed, tense, as she pulled the girl to the side, "they know we are here." She nodded to one of the shelves where a red light was flashing having been set on as they stepped aboard.

Star followed her gaze rolling her eyes as the man continued, utterly obvious to the fact they had stopped, "then be ready," she shrugged, before taking her hand and following the Doctor to the bridge where he was running the screwdriver along the control panel.

"Don't touch anything." The Doctor warned.

"They know we're here," Star stated bluntly, "we set off a sensor as we stepped out of the TARDIS."

"Right," the Doctor blinked, obviously it had been Marcella who had noticed that. Star usually would have walked straight past or kept it to herself. "We'll deal with that later."

"this ships been turned into a bomb." Marcella remarked, "That there is the reactor core, its cycling at critical."

"How did you...?"

"It's the littlest things that you normally miss and end up getting killed...or shoved against a wall with a dagger to your neck."

The Doctor blinked at looked at her for that and then at Star, rolling his eyes, "why would you do that?"

"I panicked," she admitted, "I couldn't think of another plan."

"So you shoved her against the wall."

"And was close to slicing my neck open." Marcella added.

"I wasn't actually going to slice your neck," Star rolled her eyes, "it was just a threat, nor more no less." She finished with a shrug. She didn't think she had it in her to actually harm Marcella purposely.

"And that would be the security drones we set off," Marcella pointed to one of the monitor spotting a shadow moving.

"Why bombs though?" Star frowned, "how would they help destroy the Earth."

"Oh, you couldn't blow up the Earth with this." The Doctor countered "But you could wipe out a city. Good point, well made, Marcella."

"About New York?" She blinked.

"What if you dropped this ship on New York?" The Doctor inquired, "What would happen?"

"The reactor core would split and New York would vaporise." Marcella answered, a frown on her face, "but that guy said Harmony Shoal could..." she trailed as Sim appeared on the monitor, still in the New York branch.

"withstand a blast up to 4 times the strength of a nuclear explosion," he finished for her.

"Oh very good, very meta." The Doctor nodded.

"Did you understand?"

"You're stage-managing an alien attack when the aliens have already landed. When everyone thinks that the Earth is being attacked from space, what then."

"Mass panic." Star stated, unfazed by the thumping on the doors by the dark figures they ha set off. They had nothing to worry about. It was a triple deadlock-seal. Nothing to could break though.

"The people will panic, yes." The Doctor continued, looking back at Sim on the screen, "But what about the world leaders? The presidents and kings, the prime ministers and generals? What will they do? What do the rich old men always do when the fighting starts? They'll find the safest place to hide themselves away and send all their young people to die. And where's the safest place in every capital city now? What's the only part of New York still standing?"

"Harmony Shoal." Marcella answered.

"New York isn't a capital city. It's a shop window. When the world is in danger, come hide with us. Harmony Shoal will open its doors to the terrified leaders of the world."

"And they will come running." Sim smirked.

"A few hours later, every politician and commander-in-chief will have a zip in their head. An alien sitting inside their skull. In one day of terror, the executive authority of Planet Earth will pass to Harmony Shoal. It's a good plan. I like it. How come our side never gets plans like that?"

"We do," Star scoffed, folding her arms over her chest, "you just never like them because they're too 'dark' and 'evil!' And 'no, Star, that's just disgusting.'"

"I get your point," he rolled his eyes.

"The humans have no plan at all." Sim stated.

"That's where you're wrong."

"The humans do have a plan?" Marcella stared from where she was leaning against the door, enduring the triple deadlock would hold.

"They have the same plan they always have." He grinned.

"What plan?" Sim narrowed his eyes.

"Me!" He laughed.

"Oh here we go," Star moaned.

"Stand away from the controls, Doctor." Sim earned, "Any attempt to interfere with them will precipitate the attack immediately."

"Yes, I see that." He nodded, "Very clever. One question, as long as I'm here. Why haven't you done it already?"

"When the time is right, there will be no delay."

"Oh, you told me something there. You told me something useful. You shouldn't have done that."

"What did I tell you?"

"You told me that the time is currently wrong." He grinned.

"This cannot be good," Star grumbled.

"Why? What does the smile mean?" Marcella frowned, it couldn't be good if Star was worried about it.

"They're dead."

"The Sword of Damocles hanging over New York." The Doctor grinned, speaking quickly, "I can't destroy it, I can't remove it, I can't stop it falling. There's only one thing I can do."

"And what's that? Marcella called.

"The unexpected! The thing about being in a room full of buttons and switches is, I love buttons and switches!"

"What are you doing?" Sim glared.

Star grinned as the Doctor pressed as many buttons as possible, flipping the switches and twisting nobs.

"You may want to hold on," Star warned Marcella as the computer called.

"Thrusters engaged."

"Too what?" She snapped.

"Next stop New York." The Doctor cheered as the ship tilted towards the planet below, "Say wheeee!"

"Doctor! Is this safe?" Marcella yelled above the wailing alarms.

"Too late now!" Star cackled as she grabbed hold on the console to steady herself as the ship sped down to the planet out of control.

"You'll destroy New York!"

"Of course not!" the Doctor laughed, "Now the bomb is arming, the shields are down. We can use the TARDIS to hijack the controls and divert it into space! No bomb, no plan, no problem!"

"What's about them outside," Marcella reminded him, jerking she head back to the door. "The ship is crashing! They're not going to be worrying about us!" He countered, flashing the sonic at the door as an arm grabbed hold of Marcella.

"What did I tell you," she moaned, fighting her grip free as Star snatched the sonic from the Doctor, relocking the door as Marcella pulled the arms from the shoulder.

"You pulled its arm off!" The Doctor gasped.

"It attacked me first." She defended.

"Why the hell would you open the door?" Star demanded, rounding on the Doctor, "you could have gotten her killed."

"What, by them?" Marcella scoffed, "you think that could take me down?" It was highly insulting that Star thought she would get taken down that easily.

She spun to face her, "of course not. Don't be silly. No one can take you down without a fight."

"You haven't told him have you?" Marcella looked between them.

"Told me what?" He frowned seeing Star shifting in the corner of his eyes.

"Nothing!" She blinked.

"Star. Tell me now."

"We, um, may have Connected..." she admitted, "just before the war."

"You did what."

"We did believe we'd die." Marcella interrupted.

"That's not the point!" He snapped before sighing, "so the cargo hold..."

"Sorry," Marcella called, "science explosion." "Ok," the Doctor sucked a breath, seemed like they weren't leaving anytime soon, "plan B."

"Plan B? Marcella called, they hadn't mentioned plan B. "I have no idea, but it's going to be a very big relief when I think of it." "You are completely out of your mind!" Marcella yelled, whacking him with the arm.

"Oi!" He turned to her. "How is that news to anyone?" Star scoffed.

"Hey!"

"Plan yet?"

"How much give do the controls have?" Marcella asked.

"What?" The Doctor looked at her but Star pushed him aside.

"we can aim for New York."

Marcella moved and joined Star at the console, trying to use the little they had to shift their aim to New York, "Grant has advanced 'superhero powers' not only could he hear our warning but also stop us crashing into the city."

The Doctor blinked, "that could work," he had to agreed flashing the sonic at the speakings, hoping it was enough for Grant too hear and they wouldn't be too late, "Grant! Grant!" He shouted, "This is the Doctor! You are the only living thing on Earth that can hear this frequency. Look up! We're coming right at you. If that thing hits the ground, then New York is finished! Over to you." He glanced at Marcella, "are you sure about this?"

"I hope so."

"This is Marcella's plan," Star called. "She has never been wrong before. I trust her...with my life. I trust her more than you."

He looked at her, waiting for her to look away but she didn't before turning to Marcella who was staring at Star was a look he couldn't quite place. "Ok," he nodded, "brace for impact!" He warned, seeing the city closing in.

"Bit rough wasn't it?" Marcella grumbled from where she fell to the ground as the sudden impact, finding herself on her stomach with Star half on her.

"Best get used to it," Star smirked, shifting and rolling off of Marcella now she was done protecting her. Because she had dove down to protect her in case any debris fell or anything. She definitely hadn't fallen herself and accidentally landed on her. No way. "That was a gentle one."

"Oh goodo. Fan-flipping-tastic!" "Shock absorber." The Doctor grinned, gesturing outside where Grant was holding up on by the nose of the ship on the roof of his apartment building.

They landed the TARDIS on the roof with Grant, Lucy and the man from Harmony Shoal, Brock.

"There, on you go, take a look at him." The Doctor announced snapping his fingers at Grant before pointing at Brock, "That's why you don't stand a chance. You want to know why? He's actually left-handed."

"Sorry, instinct." Grant winced, holding the baby monitor in his left hand as Lucy stood close to him, "I couldn't let go of this." "And if you two started making out, maybe get rid of the spaceship first," Star suggested.

"In case it goes off and blows us all up," Marcella agreed. Of all the ways to die blown up by a bomb wasn't practically her favourite method. "You know what?" Lucy murmured, standing directly in front of Grant, "think I prefer you in your superhero costume." "It's a bit difficult for me to change right now." Grant remarked. "I'll do it for you." She reached up and put his glasses over his eyes before leaning in for a kiss.

"And now both of you are leaving the sleeping baby downstairs!" Star yelled as Grant slowly lifted them off the roof, his hand holding the ship, the other wrapped around Lucy's waist as he dropped the baby monitor which the Doctor picked up as Jennifer began to cry. "Remember, when you're finished, throw that thing into the sun." Marcella added, "or to be safe so that first before you get any further..." she trailed as they rose further into the Sky. "So, Doctor, you think this is over?" Brock called.

"Wanna deal with him?" The Doctor glanced at Star, holding up the baby monitor.

"With pleasure," she smirked, cracking her knuckles as the Doctor nodded and headed down to the crying baby in the nursery, "well your bones gone, plan failed and.." she glanced up as helicopters flew over head, "there's UNIT closing your head office." "The vengeance of Harmony Shoal is known and feared throughout the five star systems!" He glared at her.

She shrugged, continuing as he hadn't spoken, "I got in contact with Osgood who got in contact with them lot up there and seeing as we're left to deal with the kid I'm going to steal some coffee from down stairs, coming Mars?" She held her hand out for Marcella to take, heading down to the apartment as a helicopter landed to deal with him. "If I must," she sighed mockingly.

"So, no more Ghost, then?" The Doctor asked as the group sat around the table in Lucy's apartment, Grants arm wrapped around Lucy's shoulder.

"Which was what we said in the first place," Star muttered only for Marcella to kick her under the table making her quieten.

"Nah, laid to rest." He smiled.

"Are you sure?" Lucy glanced at him.

"Yeah, of course I'm sure. I mean, life's not a comic book, right, Doctor?"

"Possibly I'm not the right person to ask." He shrugged.

"What if something happens?" Lucy countered, "What if the whole world is in danger?"

"Well, you know, maybe I'll keep the outfit, then. You know, just in case."

"The world will be fine." The Doctor promised, not wanting Grants superpowers to get in the way of their relationship, "I've been away for a while, but I'm back. I'll..." he glanced at Star, "we'll take care of anything that comes up."

"You were away?" Grant frowned

"24 years." Star sighed, "What a night."

"Where'd you go?"

"Wrong question." Lucy smiled, setting Mr Huffle back on the table, "What was her name?"

"I'm sure that I must be busy." The Doctor murmured, turning his back on the humans, "I better go."

"You ok?" Grant frowned at him.

"Yes, yes, yes, I'm ok," he rolled his eyes as Lucy squeezed Mr Huffle, he sighed, "Things end. That's all. Everything ends, and it's always sad. But everything begins again too, and that's always happy. Be happy. I'll look after everything else." He began to walk off to wear the had moved the TARDIS to the hallway.

"Hey, Doctor?" Lucy called, making him pause and look back as she tossed him Mr Huffle, "Keep it real."

"River Song," Star began cautiously, "was the best. The absolute best ever! But she's dead now, she died saving him, in a library a long time ago," she swallowed thickly knowing she hadn't been there. But it was hitting him hard, because now their story was over. They wouldn't run into River again. And when she had died before him, he hadn't even known who she was, through she was just another human he had helped once and had returned the favour. But she was so much more than that!

"Are you sure he's going to be all right?" Grant pressed, truly not believing he was fine.

"He'll get over it." She sighed turning and leaving Marcella to give them a proper goodbye.

They looked at Marcella sensing that neither the Doctor nor Star were fine.

She sighed glancing back to were Star disappeared and turned to the humans, "Star lost someone close to her, Clara Oswald, she misses her, blames herself. But she'll, they'll be alright. I'll ensure of that." She offered a tight smile and raised her hand as a goodbye as she followed the others into the TARDIS, as they finally dematerialised now they were all there.

 **So that's series 9 all done. Next update will be the start of series 10, title to be decided. And no Nardole! I never could like his characted, like Missy said he was just comic relief :)**


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